Rise of the Rose King
by FishInAFadora
Summary: It's been a year since Mandrake's death and the last Boggan attack. One night, Queen Ariel has a dream of former Queen Tara, telling her that the Boggans are on the move and the only way to stop the downfall of the forest is to find the King's rose. Not even the oldest Jinn remember there ever being a king of the forest. Can they find the rose before the Boggans strike?
1. Dream

**Please review after reading cause it motivates me to write**

**Disclaimer: isnt it obvious? I dont own epic**

_ It's so beautiful here_, Ariel thought as she looked at the forest. She knew it was her forest, her domain that she woke up to every morning for another day of ruling. But something was different. The trees and flowers seem to glow with gold and silver lights. The water was crystal clear and filled with rainbow-colored fish. The environment suggested it was the summer season, but every flower was in bloom, and the air was the perfect temperature, with a cool breeze coming in once in a while.

"Where am I?" Ariel asked in wonder, when a soft laugh came from behind her.

"Your in a dream, little one."

Ariel turned to see Queen Tara standing behind her, smiling. She looked even more beautiful then she did when she was alive, and there was no arrow wound in her stomach, the arrow that killed her. Ariel, happy and excited, ran to her role model's arms and gave her a tight, bear hug. Tara just laughed again, "I'm happy to see you to."

Ariel let go, questions jumping out of her mouth, "What are you doing here Tara? Is this heaven or something? Do you have something to tell me?"

"Slow down," Tara said with a smile. "No this is not heaven, Ariel, it's just the dream land, where I can send messages to you in your sleep."

"Dream land?" the young queen wondered. "It just looks like the forest."

"It is still the forest, but not the one in the waking world," Tara replied. "See how everything is ringed with silver or gold light? That means your dreaming."

Then Ariel realized something else, and sadness showed on her face, "So when I wake up...you won't be with me anymore?"

Tara squeezed her hand reassuringly, "I won't be in the waking world, no. But you mustn't forget that I'm always with you. Now I need to tell you something before you wake up."

Ariel's ears perked up to listen, but she suddenly felt herself being pulled away. "What's happening?" she asked, alarmed. The forest around was getting dim, like when the sun is blocked by a thick cloud.

"It's the waking world calling you back. Listen!" Tara said frantically. "The forest is in danger of the Boggans again!"

"Mandrake?" Ariel asked fearfully, her blood turning to ice.

"No, something worse, and the only way to defeat it is to find the King's rose!"

"What's the King's rose?" Ariel shouted, feeling almost detached from the dream land.

"Give my love to Ronin," Tara smiled sadly, and disappeared.

"Wait, what do mean? Tara!" But Ariel's sight of the dream land clouded over in black mist, and she bolted awake in her chamber, her heart hammering in her chest.

Her mother was instantly beside her, stroking her head and saying soothing words until her daughter calmed down. "What did you dream about honey?" she asked.

Ariel remembered the urgency in Tara's voice, and pulled herself together. "We have to call a meeting!"

* * *

Dawn was breaking when they had all assembled in the Queen's garden.

Queen Ariel explained her dream to her mother, General Ronin, Nim Galuu, Mub, and Grub. The mention of Tara, the former queen, shocked and saddened them, especially Ronin. He looked down for a minute, but then put on his stony, military face.

"It's been a year since Mandrakes defeat, your Majesty," the general said. "They're in a bad state to attack us, and if they have any brains at all, they wouldn't act now."

"True, but Tara said that they have a new leader, and he could be rallying them up, like I rally up a crowd." Nim suggested.

"New leader or not, their numbers have reduced significantly, since Mandrake's death," Ronin countered, then turned to the queen. "It's not that I doubt Ta...the messenger of your dream, your Majesty. I'm just saying that the chances of a big attack is very small. It be stupid of them to even risk a skirmish."

Queen Ariel nodded in agreement, "What about the King's rose? Do any of you know what that is?"

"I thought it was always a queen that rules the forest," Mub mused.

"It is always a queen," Nim explained. "If there was ever a king that ruled, then it was way before I was born."

"Do you have any scrolls on the subject?" Grub asked.

"I've read every scroll in that tree, and I may not have the biggest memory, but the mention of a king would pop out at me!" the old glowworm replied. "If there ever was a king, then it was before the Rings of Knowledge were established."

"Oh great!" Ariel pouted. "Not even a scroll to refer to! I was kind of relying on that..."

Nim smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry your Majesty. I'll go check again, and even if there's a mention of a rose, I'll let you know."

"Thank you Nim," Fara, Ariel's mother, replied.

The sound of leaf boots pounding the floor got their attention. A Leafman had come barging in. "My Queen! General Ronin! There's an attack!"

Already, Ronin was running out, ready to question the Leafman and get ready for action, but the queen called him back.

"Ronin! I just wanted to tell you...she told me to send her love to you," Ariel said.

Longing and love flickered onto Ronin's face for a moment, then he nodded his thanks, bowed, and exited the Queen's garden.

**Its short I know, but ill update soon with a longer chapter, dont worry. Reviews are my food and im hungry so please feed me**


	2. Adrenaline

**Heres the next chapter, its longer and you'll meet my Ocs in it :)**

**Disclaimer: I dont own epic, only my characters**

It was dark amongst the leafy branches, but Nod and his friends waited patiently for the first light of dawn, for that would be when the fun began.

They were in a tree, on top of what the Jinn called, Hickory Hill, not that there was a single hickory tree on the hill. Of course, Nod didn't care what it was called, nor did he care that it was the perfect place to view the sunrise, and if you turned around, the sunset. The only reason he liked it up here, was because it was the best place to practice the new sport he and his friends had invented.

Said sport was what they called, leaf-bordering. They built their own boards that weren't unlike their Leafmen shields, that were round at the back and streamline at the front. The bottom was curved and rough to help grip the branches. They all had a packed parachute strapped on for emergencies. It was the perfect sport for adrenaline junkies, or in this case, Nod.

Said friends were teenagers that he had met when he became a official Leafman soldier. After the battle against the Boggans, Ronin assigned him to a group that had some people of his own age. Four teenagers to be exact; Ross, Mason, Lex, and Thryn.

Ever since M.K. had left, he and her communicated daily through Bomba's video cameras. A few months ago, she announced that she would attend her local high school, and they would be seeing less of each other for the rest of the year. Nod was sad about that, but they made it work, for M.K. got out of school in the afternoon, and he was let off duty in the early evening, so they talked to each other before turning in for the night.

Now it was spring; second semester, M.K. had called it and in two months, summer vacation would start. More freedom for her, but endless work for him. During which, Nod spent the time with his friends, hoping to fill the gaps with fun, rather than loneliness.

Ross was nineteen and tough-looking. He had short-cropped blond hair, steely blue eyes, and a tall, muscular build. Two years older than Nod, and Ross thought he was the boss, disapproving of Nod's reckless ways of handling things.

He was the poster boy of Leafmen discipline, and Nod sometimes joked that he was a mini Ronin. However, Ross didn't have Ronin's patience, and often lost his temper with Nod's shameless antics. Despite all those muscles, he wasn't very fast, and neither was he good at flying birds. His talent came from wielding a broadsword, which not many Jinn could do, not even adult, veteran Leafmen.

Lex is a sixteen-year-old human/grasshopper girl. She had short, grass-green hair and skin, and gold-and-green eyes. Her arms and legs were covered in a hard exoskeleton, therefore she only wore pieces of the Leafmen armor. She had a fun, easygoing, carefree attitude, and Nod liked her the moment they met.

She had a passion for being the fastest in footraces and often won them. She was also fast with arrows, making her the best archer in the group. When in battle though, her kind self became fierce and protective, like a mother bear.

Then there was Mason, seventeen and short for his age. He had dark skin, with short black hair, and black eyes. He didn't let his shortness get to him, and possessed a sarcastic, dark humor.

He was quick with his words, always ready with a comeback, that would either be as sweet as honey, or sharp like thorns. His tongue was smooth with the ladies, and trouble-seeking with his superiors. His knives were almost as quick as his words, though he always used words first, only drawing out weapons if he needed to.

Finally, there was Thryn, a somewhat strange, seventeen-year-old girl. She had long, brown hair that was always in a pony tail, tan skin, and gray eyes. She was quiet...no more than that, she was silent. She moved with silence and spoke more with body language, so Nod had to decipher her emotions by just the way she stood or carried herself. They would never had met if it wasn't for Lex, who claimed to be Thryn's BFF.

To Nod, most people who were quiet were also shy, but that wasn't the case for Thryn. The moment they met, she held Nod's gaze and didn't look away until she had finished introducing herself. Her voice was full of confidence, and her eyes curious.

She never complained during training, commented once in a while, and pushed herself always. She kicked butt with her twin katanas and quarter staff. Perched on her staff was a large dragonfly, a blue dasher to exact, named Sterling. She used him to carry messages, and claimed no bird could catch him, which couldn't be all wrong, if she had him since she was fourteen.

The first light of dawn had finally broken and washed the land with gold rays. Now there was enough light to leaf board, for they could see the path they would take clearly.

"Who wants to die first?" Mason asked, eyes glinting with unsuppressed glee.

In response, Ross snorted, Thryn rolled her eyes, and Lex...well she took off with a run, leaped for the next tree branch, and tucked her board under her feet, laughing all the way. The grasshopper girl landed on the branch and picked up speed, as she surfed the surface.

"What are you waiting for, come on!" she shouted.

"Why did I agree to this?" Ross asked nobody in particular, then took off on a different branch. Mason, and Nod followed, Thryn bringing up the back.

Nod jumped to a branch above, ran halfway down it's length, then tucked his board under him, pushing off with a kick. Immediately, the board picked up speed, and the world became a green blur.

He could already see himself on the cover of _Moonhaven Weekly: The Latest in Exhilaration...Leaf-Boarding! Invented by the handsome, daring, and brave-_his thought train was interrupted by an oncoming branch. He ducked and missed it by inches, only to find that he'd come to the end of his branch. He smiled in delight, for leaping to the next tree was his favorite part. As the end came, he bent his knees, putting his weight on the board, and the tip of the branch bent under him. Now it was a matter of timing. As the tip of his board cleared the branch, he jumped, causing the branch to be a spring board and snap him higher and further through the air. He flew across the empty space, whooping with excitement, and landed onto the next tree's branch.

_Concentrate Nod,_ he thought, seeing that he was really flying now, zipping past leaves and branches, ducking and swerving obstacles. He heard the laughter, shouts, and cursing of his friends, but he didn't let them distract him. He learned that the hard way in the early days of this sport.

Nod jumped through nooks in the trees, tearing past leaves and alarmed Jinn. He cleared the space between trees, his board surfing the branches, the wind whipping through his hair. The teen was going faster than he ever had on Bufo's birds, so fast that his eyes were tearing up from the wind, and he had to keep blinking to keep them clear. He made a mental note: make some goggles!

The bottom of the hill was coming up fast. This was the tricky part, and probably the most dangerous. Trying to break with your foot was out of the question, no matter how padded that foot was. The speed would be to much, and a built-in break would unbalance you and throw you off the board. The only way to stop, was to slow down gradually.

Nod quickly checked that his pack was strapped on securely, just in case he would need it. The slope fell into flatter, more level land. Their momentum had to be carried out, until they reached a slower, safer speed. They bent their knees, putting weight on their boards, to increase the friction and help slow them down.

Then Nod glimpsed a gap in the trees, and saw that the land dropped. Oh, dammit. He forgot about the stream at the bottom of the hill. The tree branches were to far apart to leap across the water, and there were no curving branches around to change direction, so if he didn't stop now, he and his friends would fall and crash...possibly to their deaths.

His mind was going as fast as his board. The only way to go without getting killed was to pull the string on his pack, but would it stop him in time? He had experimented with his break system at different speeds, but never this fast. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his friends coming up behind him. Now or never.

When they were about to cross the stream, Nod shouted as loud as he could, "Release!" and pulled the drawstring on his pack, hoping it would function. The parachute, made out of leaves, erupted out of the pack, snapping him back hard. Even though he braced himself for the jerk, it still hurt. His momentum carried him across the stream, though he was still going pretty fast, and it would be a hard landing.

A breeze suddenly blew through, pushing the parachute back with surprising force. It left as quickly as it came, and Nod felt himself falling. The parachute had crumpled in on itself and he plummeted to the stream.

He hit the water hard, sinking into the depths. What would be shallow for a stomper, was deep for him. Underwater, he quickly unstrapped the pack and parachute, before they could weigh him down, and swam for the surface. He burst up with a gasp, disoriented, but already feeling the current trying to take him for a ride downstream. Nod swam for the shore, not willing to go on that adventure just yet.

His hands felt scratchy sand and he stood up to walk the rest of the way. He saw that Lex had suffered the same landing he did, and was already on the bank, eyes wide and gaping like a fish. Must still be high on adrenaline. Mason and Thryn had the luck of avoiding the breeze and landing on the bank. Mason was waving and shouting. Thryn looked shaken, but had one of the biggest smiles he had ever seen on her face.

"Did you see that tricked out flip I did on that tree?!" Mason exclaimed. "It was so...awesome!"

"Mason," Lex said patiently. "I'll explain this again...we were to busy boarding to be paying any attention to you. Besides...it probably wasn't as cool as the twist and turn I did to avoid a knot!"

"Wait," Thryn's voice stopped all the chatter, "Where's Ross?"

At that moment, as if on cue, "Nod! I'm going to get you for this!"

They all looked up at the voice, to see Ross hanging by his parachute, which had caught on a branch. Nod and Mason tried and failed to not laugh at Ross's predicament.

"Oh you think that's funny, huh?" Ross shouted angrily. "This is your fault Nod! You talked me into this! When I get down there, your so dead!"

Nod and Mason fell over in laughter. Ross snarled and struggled to get out of his pack, his face red as a tomato. Lex looked up at him, concerned. Thryn rolled her eyes, glared at Ross, then glared at Nod and Mason.

An odd and strange group of friends, one made of very different people. But those were the best around. Maybe even the closest.

All of the sudden, a sound traveled through the forest and reached their ears, making the laughter stop and their blood run cold. It was the low, drawn-out call of a Leafmen horn, the alarm call. They hadn't heard that sound in a year.

Nod whistled, his friends following his lead. Four hummingbirds came out from the green and landed by their respective riders. Ross's bird hovered beneath him as he unstrapped himself from his pack, and he dropped into the saddle.

Now Nod was glad that they had brought their weapons and armor. It had been Thryn's idea. "If we're sneaking off, then at least we can be smart about it. You never know," she had said. Nod made a mental note to thank her later. The teens strapped on their armor and weapons, and before long, they were flying as fast their hummingbirds could go.

Hickory Hill wasn't far from Moonhaven, in fact, it overlooked it, being the highest point in the forest. When they arrived, the rock formation was bustling with Leafmen, about to take off. They had arrived just in time. The patrol was about to leave, yet Nod hoped that they could slip in unnoticed.

And they could've if it wasn't for Ross's habit of saluting every superior they tried to sneak past. One of them had to be Ronin. He looked pretty angry, as he marched right up to Nod.

He spoke through gritted teeth, "I don't have the time for this, Nod, but don't think I'm letting you and your friends off the hook. Get in the patrol, there's Boggans attacking Berry Meadow." Then he left to lead the battalion of Leafmen.

Nod and his friends flew in the back. On the way, the young Leafman grumbled to himself. Why is it that Ronin always thought he was the one at fault? That he caused the trouble? Okay sure, it had been his idea to sneak off to try out the hill, but what if it wasn't? He was willing to bet that Ronin would still think it was his fault.

They flew past some Jinn, who called out greetings and encouragement, and looked up at them with faces full of hope. He couldn't stay angry. So many people, looking to him and his comrades for protection and leadership, and here he was grumbling and complaining. _Get over yourself, _he thought. _You've got responsibilities now._ He thought of M.K. In a way, he was protecting her to, maybe even the whole world.

**As you can see, Ronin and Nod's relationship is still a bit rocky, cause I believe that no relationship can be fixed in a day (which was the movie)**

**The next chapter will have some fighting and excitement and im almost done with it, so please review.**


	3. Raid

**Heres the second chappie, I hope you like it, please review at the end**

**Disclaimer: I dont own epic, only my characters**

* * *

They were close enough to hear the screams, and the trees parted to reveal what the Jinn called, the Berry Meadow. Nod remembered coming here as a child with his dad, and playing tag and hide-and-go-seek. You could taste the wild strawberries that grew here and claim they were the best in the forest.

Now that was a distant memory, as he witnessed the Boggans running amok all around, making the plants wither a die. The civilians had run off to hide, so where was the screaming coming from? They flew over a patch of dead grass and saw the Boggans had captured a family of dandelions, who were sobbing with fear and pleading for their lives. Nod could hear the Boggans shouting at them, "Where is it!?" Two of them advanced to the family with their weapons poised for attack.

Instantly, Lex shot two arrows at them, taking them out before they took another step to the family. The Boggans looked to find a battalion of Leafmen flying straight at them.

"Nod, Lex, Thryn! Stay high and cover our backs! Mason, Ross! Get the people out of here!" Ronin barked, as he dove down to the ground, leading the rest of the group.

Brave Leafmen and women lept to the ground and charged, and the clearing became an ensuing battle. Ross and Mason landed next to the family, and realizing their was to many to take on the birds, they disappeared into the long grass. The battle raged, as the Leafmen dodged every swipe and countered every blow the Boggans tried. Nod, Lex, and Thryn fired arrow after arrow, saving their comrades more than once from a Boggan striking from behind. They received return fire, but the great thing with hummingbirds was that they could fly forwards, backwards, and side to side. So long as they were alert, the archers were able to dodge every arrow shot at them.

Nod had sent down another arrow, when he spotted four Boggans running into the long grass where Ross, Mason, and the family had gone. He steered his hummingbird after them.

"Where are you going!?" Thryn shouted over the din of the battle.

"Back in a sec!"

Ignoring her protests, he led his bird low, skimming over the tops of the long grass and wildflowers. The meadow abruptly fell into a slope, covered with ivy, thorns, and all sorts of undergrowth. The Boggans were clearing a path by hacking at the plants, making them wither away. Up ahead, he caught glimpses of Mason or Ross running through and around grass stalks. The Bogs were rapidly closing the distance, and even though Ross and Mason were trained fighters, four against two weren't great odds.

Nod swooped and knocked the first Bog off his feet. Taking advantage of the surprise, he nocked and fired an arrow getting the second in the gut. The other three quickly took cover, and Nod flew away, catching up to his comrades running below him. He smiled, as he remembered being the one running, on that one faithful day.

"Nod!" Ross shouted between pants. "Your not supposed to be here!"

"I think a thank you is in order," Nod replied. "It was four against two and with people to protect, it wouldn't have been easy."

"We can handle it! Your orders were to cover their backs!"

"I'm covering yours, and now I'm going back to do it again!" Before Ross could ask, Nod reined his hummingbird around and flew back to the perusing Boggans. His diversion had given his comrades ground on them, but Bogs didn't give up so easily.

When he was sure he was back where he had left them, he swooped lower to search. The trees above him casted shadows on the grassy slope, and his bird's belly was tickled by the grass tops. The battle sounded far away and the only disturbance was the breeze.

There was no warning when the spear came hurling out the undergrowth below, and missed the bird and rider by inches. Still, the dodge made Nod unbalanced, and he barely had time to glance up at the sound of a roar, before something heavy knocked him out of the saddle. He landed on the ground, the breath punched out of him, and started rolling down the slope. He reached out to grab anything to stop himself, but everything was ripped out of his grasp. The world became a spinning blur, but he was able to make out the rock coming right for his head, before a white flash and he blacked out.

* * *

_The sprout sensed water near, and swung it's leaves towards it. It had not had water in days, therefore it was unable to complete it's recipe of energy. It had sunlight, and breathing gas, but no water. It felt itself becoming weak, and the sprout desperately needed water._

_ The water wasn't in liquid form, rather it sensed it was contained in a body. A fleshy body, one that was living, breathing, but not moving. The sprout reached out to touch it, and felt warmth coming of the being in waves. It felt young, strong, and full of life. A spirit that couldn't be restrained. The Free Spirit. Perhaps this one will do...the plant didn't have many options. It wasn't here a few seconds before. The being had come crashing into it's closed off sanctuary, breaking through the thorns that surrounded it, and came to rest at it's roots._

_ The plant felt an approaching danger, a party of Malicious Spirits with evil intents, coming closer. Desperate for protection and water, the sprout summoned it's roots to th surface, and the thin, delicate roots snaked up through the soil. The tips tingled with the anticipation of water. They slithered onto Free Spirit's limb, sinking into the skin as if it were rich, soft soil. The sprout wrapped it's stem around the limb, holding it close._

_ The group of Malicious spirits were almost upon them, and the plant waited for Free Spirit to get up and run, or defend itself, but it remained motionless. The Maliciousness was reaching out to it, and it tightened it's grip in fear of being ripped away from it's new creature._

_ Another spirit suddenly sprang out, startling the sprout. It was a fighting, angry spirit, one that as soon it had appeared, the other evil ones disappeared. A being that destroyed other beings. The plant's grip tightened even more. What if this new spirit wanted to destroy them?_

_ Yet as soon as Fighting Spirit saw them, it became shocked, concerned, then disbelieving. Not a spirit that destroyed but one that protects. The sprout felt multiple emotions coming off it, none that wished them harm, and at that, the sprout loosened it's hold on Free Spirit. With content, it began to suck up the water from Free Spirit's body, finally feeling secure. It was in good company_

* * *

The Boggans were finally retreating, and Ronin sent the Leafmen after them, to chase them off for good. Unfortunately with Boggans, it was never the last time you would see of them. The Berry Meadow was almost completely destroyed, and it would take days for the Queen to regrow it, especially when it came to fruit. Thryn landed her hummingbird next to him, while Lex flew around to check the perimeter.

"Where's Nod?" he asked.

"He went after some Boggans, who were going after Mason and Ross. I tried to stop him, but you know how he is..."

Ronin growled in annoyance, "Come with me," he replied, and whistled for his hummingbird. Soon, they were flying in the direction Nod had went.

They followed the Boggan's destructive path down the slope, and came upon the first body, shot with a Leafmen arrow. Thryn's eyes were searching the vegetation around her, looking for Nod, when a flash of bright metal caught her eye. In a branch above, she spotted Ross signaling to them with his sword.

"Go up there and bring them back to the clearing for safety," Ronin ordered. "I'm going to look for Nod." _Stupid, reckless boy,_ he thought. _Why do you have to be so much like your father?_

They parted ways, and Ronin circled down to find a clue of some sorts, as to Nod's whereabouts. He landed next to the Bog's body, and saw a smaller, more hidden path the Boggans had made, one he wouldn't have seen from the air. Unsheathing his sword, he cautiously walked down the path, the thick plant life surrounding him and blocking out the sunlight.

He heard excited chatters of Boggans up ahead, and silently sheathed his sword, wanting to surprise them with his bow and arrows instead. He peeked over a corner, and saw three Boggans peering at something through a thick wall of thorns, their bodies blocked his view. Whatever it was, Ronin wanted to get to it first.

Moving fast, he came around the corner and loosed the arrow on the closest Boggan, cutting off the chatter, and gaining the attention of the other two. He hadn't even waited for the first arrow to hit it's mark, before he sent another, taking the second down before it could blink. The third charged, gotten over it's initial surprise. Ronin threw aside the bow and unsheathed his sword, side stepping the Bog's swing. Unbalanced, the Boggan didn't have enough time to recover before the Leafman's sword slashed it across the throat.

Satisfied that the threats were gone, he sheathed his sword, and walked up to opening of thorns, peering into a hallowed out space, and waited as his eyes adjusted.

What he saw shocked him.

The sunlight that filtered through was enough light for him to see Nod, lying unconscious, his hands and face bloodied and scratched. His helmet lay off to the side with a big dent in it. The Leafmen general kneeled beside the teenager, scared to move him if he had broken any bones. Gently as he could, Ronin turned the boy on his back, his limp body heavy. The sunlight exposed all the cuts on his face, making it quite grotesque. Luckily, the armor had protected the young Leafman from serious injury.

Ronin's eyes widened when they fell upon Nod's left arm. A bright green stem was wrapped around, like a snake coiled to a tree branch, and two small, green leaves hugged Nod's hand and wrist. Ronin pushed up Nod's sleeve, to find the white roots of the plant tangled and buried _beneath_ the boy's skin. The Leafmen blinked in disbelief, hoping that it was an illusion, but...he recognized the leaves from anywhere. It was Tara's favorite flower.

A rose sprout had attached itself to Nod.

**Reviews are my food and im hungry, so please feed me...**


	4. Discovery

**Lawyers and people who wish to sue:**** if you want a disclaimer, then go back to previous chapters **

**the rest of you:**** you get the idea, read and review please :)**

* * *

When Nod came back to his senses, he felt first the dryness of his throat, and the throbbing pain in his head. There was a dull ache all over his body, and burning lashes on his face and hands. He felt a heavy weight on his arm. His eyes flickered open to stare at broken pieces of a blue sky, shining through sharp thorns. He was lying on a bedroll with a cushion under his head.

Only when he had fully awoken, did the pain multiply in his head. He groaned, but his throat was so dry that it came out more like a strangled whisper. He would roll down that hill again if it meant he could have a drink. A shadow fell across him, and Ronin came into view, trying to look angry, but Nod could tell he was relieved.

"Glad to see your back in the land of the living," the general said gruffly.

"I would have stayed dead if it meant no pain," Nod croaked. "Water?"

Thryn came up and handed him a canteen. Slowly, he looked around to see his friends, Finn, and a Leafmen medic inside the hollow. The rest of the battalion were moving around outside.

Nod had a long drink, thinking of how he'll never take water for granted again. The cool water soothed his sore throat, and his senses perked up. He looked down to see his left arm wrapped up in a blanket, and tied as a sling around his neck. He didn't remember breaking an arm on the way down, nor did he feel any pain, beside his head.

"What happened?" Ronin asked.

"The Bogs surprised me and I got knocked off my bird," Nod said, and explained the incident in detail. Then he parroted Ronin's question back at him.

"I found you here," Ronin began. "Your helmet protected you from that rock. We didn't want to move you in case of a concussion, so the medic made you comfortable, and waited for you to come to."

"Are the Boggans gone?"

"They retreated. I killed the last three before they could get to you."

"Thanks," Nod grunted, then pointed to his arm. "What's with the sling?"

Ronin didn't answer, but tightened his jaw, and his silence made Nod uneasy. They weren't telling him something. The teen decided to take a gamble, and shifted his arm in the sling. He tensed, waiting for the pain, but it didn't come. His arm was fine.

"It's not broken."

The medic looked at Ronin, as if in permission. The general nodded and the medic came and untied the knot that held the sling. An unexpected weight made his arm drop, and the medic unwrapped the blanket.

Nod beheld the sprout that had coiled around his lower arm, and it's roots that sunk into the joint of his elbow. The white roots were visible beneath his skin, and they pulsed with life. The small leaves hugged the back of his hand and wrist. The teen's heart pounded in his chest with fear, and his eyes got so wide, they might have popped out of his skull. He shook his arm violently.

"Get it off me!" he shouted, and his head protested at the movement.

Steady hands tried to still him, "We've tried," Ronin reassured. "It won't let go. It's rooted in you, Nod. Just relax, and have some more water."

Ronin did not remove his hand until Nod had calmed down some, making sure he drank from the canteen. Then, he gathered Finn and the young soldiers. "We need to take him back to the Queen. Your all under orders to not speak of this to the rest outside. It has to stay strictly between us all."

Each one saluted and Ronin turned back to the medic. "Wrap his arm up again. We can't have the others see it," he ordered. "Nod, pretend that its broken."

Nod was too dazed to protest. When the sling was replaced, they walked outside, Nod limping a little. His whole body was in pain from his roll down the hill, and it wasnt hard to pretend he was hurt. All he could do was try not to rip the thing off his arm.

His own bird had flew off, so he climbed up behind Thryn, ignoring the curious stares from the other Leafmen. Thryn, feeling his discomfort, quickly reined her hummingbird to fly, escaping the gazes

Nod wrapped his 'good' arm around Thyrn's waist. After flying in silence, Thyrn spoke up.

"No wonder you were so thirsty when you woke up," she said.

"What?"

"Your plant. It sucked the water out of your body, and it's probably doing it right now," she stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She unhooked her canteen from the saddle. "You should drink some more."

"Whoa, whoa, let's get something straight here," Nod chided. "It's not _my_ plant."

"Whatever you say Nod," she replied tiredly, as if the conversation exhausted her. "Just take the water."

The rebellious side of him wanted to say no, but he was actually thirsty. Already? _Maybe Thryn was right,_ he thought, and he finished off the canteen.

"Sorry," he said when he handed it back to her, empty.

Thryn just shrugged. Sterling flew beside them, buzzing around their heads.

"You don't talk much, do you?" he asked.

"Not much," she replied curtly, as she dug inside her saddlebag, and pulled out a fly larvae the size of her palm.

"What if you had to make a speech?"

"And why would I need to make a speech?" she asked, and tossed the larvae to Sterling. He caught in his mouth and chewed contently, while flying.

"Just trying to make conversation. So if you had to make a speech, what would you do?"

Thryn sighed, as she scratched Sterling behind his left eye, his favorite spot. "Let's just say that I'd do what needs to be done."

"That's a pretty vague answer," Nod stated, a little irritated.

The Leafgirl just shrugged. It occurred to Nod that Thryn _liked_ to be vague. A silence stretched between them, one that Thryn enjoyed and Nod tried to think of other things to talk about. Anything that could keep his mind off of what was attached to him.

They reached the stream that lead to Moonhaven, and the battalion followed it to the entrance. Nod and Thryn were graced with the sight of Moonhaven in full sunlight, surrounded by sparkling water and colorful flowers. The smooth granite rock were warmed by the sun, and the cheeps of hummingbirds echoed off them. The place never failed to take his breath away.

The battalion landed on the big, flat rock called the Outcrop. Four small openings lead inside the hidden palace. The first two lead to the barracks and birds' roost, the third to the Queen's chamber, and the fourth to the private apartments. The Leafmen dismounted to go to their respective places, weather it was to the barracks, roost, or even sentry duty. Nod wished he could join them. Instead, he was lead away with Ronin and his friends, down the Queen's Hall.

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**Hope you guys arent too confused (I dont know why you would be) but if you are then just PM me and ill happily explain it for you ;)**

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	5. Discussion

**Yippee an update! Enjoy! :)**

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Queen Ariel gazed in wide-eyed fascination at the sprout on Nod's arm. She had never seen anything like this. Fara, after gasping and staring in wonder, had excused herself to go make mint tea for them. She still did things like that, even though she was the Queen's mother and had hundreds of servants at her disposal.

Ronin let Nod's friends stay and listen in on this meeting. Mub and Grub had their eyes glued to the sprout. "Well?" Nod asked abruptly. They've been staring like this for a few minutes, and it was making him uncomfortable. Wasn't someone going to tell him what the hell was going on?

"It's definitely a rose sprout," Grub stated matter a factually.

Nod rolled his eyes, "Yes, we've covered that," he turned to the queen. "Can you tell it to get off?"

"I'll try," she said, and screwed up her face in concentration, putting her fingers to her temples. The sprout raised it's leaves a little, and swung it's head towards her. Nod felt hope rising in him. Maybe it'll get off him and go to the Queen. But the sprout settled back onto his hand, and seem to ignore the Queen's efforts at communication.

Ariel frowned, "It's not like other plants. Or other roses for that matter..."

"What do mean?" Ronin asked.

"It acknowledged me, but it didn't listen."

"Maybe we can cut it out," Ross suggested.

Mub glared at him, "You don't man handle a plant like that! Even when it's attached to something so..."

"Manly?" Lex try to finish for him.

"Anything but!"

Nod usually brushed off Mub's insults, but he was having a freaky day and he didn't need this right now. "Look you little-"

"Enough," Ronin growled in warning, cutting him off. "You don't behave this way in front of the Queen, both of you."

The Queen was deep in thought, the rose sprout occupying her attention, but she looked up at the mention of her name, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your Majesty," the Leafmen general began. "Is this the rose from your dream?"

"I didn't actually see the rose," Ariel explained. "But Tara said to find the King's rose, and then Nod gets a rose sprout on his arm, so it has to be it!"

"Yes, it's too coincidental," Ronin agreed. "Well it's here now, and we need to take care of it. Mub, Grub? Your good plant carers. What's your take on this?"

"Wait a minute," Nod interrupted. "Dream? Tara? _King?_"

"Well first, water is in order," Mub replied, as if Nod never spoke. "Since we can't water it like normal, Nod will have to drink water_ continually_."

"Continually?" Nod blanched.

"And he'll need to get a few hours of sunlight everyday," Grub added.

"Hold on for just a-"

"And he'll have to watch out for aphids," Mub informed.

"Oh aphids, nasty little buggers," Grub agreed.

"Am I not here?"

"That's settled then," Ronin concluded. "Nod, your not to leave Moonhaven."

Glad that someone had finally addressed him, Nod consented. "Fine, I won't go more than a two mile radius-"

"No, I mean you can't leave at all," Ronin corrected. "Not even to fly around."

Now this was like a slap to the face for Nod. He gaped in disbelief. "No...you can't mean-"

"I mean it Nod. The Boggans will be looking for this rose, ergo, looking for you. Your staying here for the security of the forest."

"I can't stay cooped up in here all day, Ronin!" Nod raised his voice. His temper was cracking. "You know me, I'm an out-doorsy kind of guy!"

"Yes, I do know you. I know that you'll disobey orders and try to escape. Which is why I'm posting the most reliable and vigilant guard I have to watch you. One that I can spare."

Ross's face lit up like a firefly, and he stepped forward at attention and saluting, "It's an honor, sir. I won't let you-"

"Thryn," Ronin said, ignoring Ross.

"What?!" Nod and Thryn said in unison.

"Oh..." Ross sighed sadly, ears red with embarrassment, though nobody was really paying him much attention.

"Thryn's an excellent fighter and when she's got a job, her mind is focused on it until it's done," Ronin praised, then turned to her. "Make sure he's safe and doesn't leave the palace."

"Yes sir," Thryn nodded, but she didn't look very excited about this assignment.

"And while your at it...send your dragonfly over to Nim Galuu's place, and update him on what's been happening here. Tell him to check all his scrolls thoroughly."

Thryn nodded again, and got to work on writing a message to Nim. As Ronin went on to discuss the Berry Meadow attack, and Moonhaven's security with the Queen, Nod watched Thryn prepare her message on a scroll. She scrawled with a charcoal pencil, then read it over, checking for mistakes. Satisfied, she rolled it up, and tied it with a leather thong.

The Leafgirl seem to consider something, then took out another scroll and wrote another message. Her body blocked it so Nod couldn't read it. She rolled it up, tied it off, then took the first scroll and secured to Sterling's abdomen. Her hand reached into a satchel slung on her shoulder, and took out a moth larvae, giving it to Sterling.

While the dragonfly gobbled it up, Thryn lashed the second scroll to him. The dragonfly felt the weight on his tail and looked at her, sensing more. Thryn reached into her satchel and handed him a blueberry wheat cake, which the insect took eagerly. After he finished his meal, Sterling buzzed out, speeding as if he wasn't carrying the weight of two messages.

Nod, a little confused, came up to her, "What just happened there?"

Thryn had sensed he was watching, "Well, when I tie the message to him, he doesn't know where to go immediately. He's an insect after all. So I have to give him some food that comes from a specific source. Moth larvae are everywhere, but the most come from the Rings of Knowledge, therefore he knows he has to go there."

Nod couldn't help but be impress. He was a bird expert, and didn't know much about insects or bugs. "Cool. What about that second message?"

"That? Just a routine message I have to send," Thryn stated dismissively.

"What kind of routine message?"

"Top-secret-dragonfly-messengers-only kind of message."

Nod wasn't a lie detector, but his gut said that her pants were on fire, which just made him more curious. Before he could ask about it more, Ronin joined them, having finished with the Queen.

"It's all arranged then. I'm going on patrol, maybe try to find out more of what the Boggans are doing," he gave Nod a hard look. "Don't even think about leaving."

"Ronin...please," Nod tried one last time, but the general shook his head, then left. Ross, Lex, and Mason trailed behind him, but Nod quickly grabbed Lex before she could leave.

"I need a favor," he began. "Could you go to one of Bomba's video cameras and tell my friend M.K. about what's happening?" Lex was always willing to help, and he hoped that trait would extend to talking with a stomper.

He wasn't disappointed. "Sure, I'd love to," she smiled. "I've always wanted to meet your secret girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend," Nod chuckled. "Not that much of a secret either." He gave directions of the closest camera, and she left, giggling about young love.

Fara, who had arrived with a tray laden with teacups, a teapot, sugar, and cream came in; to her surprise, most of her guest had already gone and she was now left with her perky daughter, two restless teenagers, and two slimy rose caretakers.

"No tea for Nod, my lady," Mub said to her smoothly. "Just water for him, and plenty of it!" The slug purred, as if he was going to enjoy Nod's internal torture.

The young Leafman sighed. It was going to be a long day.

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**Wow I loved typing up this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please review! :)**


	6. Video Chat

**For all the M.K. fans out there, this chapter is for you :)**

**as always I love it when u guys favorite and follow the story, but I love it better when you review!**

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M.K. walked through her front door and she was greeted by an ecstatic Ozzie, who put his paws on her knees and barked happily. She had just gotten back from a long day at school and was mentally exhausted, but being greeted by Ozzie always made her smile.

Ozzie started barking in confusion when he saw her friends, Angela, Corey, Jason, Reece, and Lisa, enter the house behind her. They had all decided to come by her house after school to hang out, and this was the first time they saw M.K.'s house.

"Oh is this your dog?" Angela, a blond hair, blue-eyed girl asked. She bent down to pet Ozzie. "He's soooooo cute!"

Ozzie just ran around in circles, sniffing everybody like crazy then trotted back into the living room.

"And a bit crazy," Corey commented, then went back to checking his messages on his phone.

"He's just got some bad eye sight, that's all," M.K. explained. "Let me get you guys some snacks. The living room's that way."

As she walked towards the kitchen, she looked around, and was relieved to see that her dad had put up his work in his study. Earlier in the day, she had texted him that her friends were coming over, and to hide all his life's research. The display cases of armor, weapons, the papers and sketch books, and everything else had all been locked away in her dad's upstairs office. His microscopes and video screens had stayed, but that was fine. She had told her friends that Bomba was an environmental scientist.

She came back to her friends with chips, popcorn, and sodas. Her friends had made themselves comfortable on couches, and had already switched on the TV.

"Nice house M.K.," Jason, an athletic, blond haired boy, said. He was cute, and the captain of the school's soccer team. He had actually been the first friend at school she had made.

"Thanks," she said a bit awkwardly, then noticed Reece staring at the food uncertainly. "Oh sorry Reece! I forgot that you're a vegetarian."

Despite her punk rock look, Reece was a caring and enthusiastic tree hugger. She was the president of the Go Eco club at school, and she blogged about 'earth-killing companies' in her free time. Reece smiled at M.K.

""It's alright, I'm not hungry anyway," she assured.

"More for us then!" Corey grinned and stuck a hand into the popcorn. Lisa, a brunette, Hispanic girl, took a chip as she flipped through the channels, and stopped at a Spanish commercial, advertising a line of makeup. Corey groaned in annoyance.

"Not all of us can speak Spanish," he said.

"I can speak French!" Angela announced proudly. Not that anyone had asked.

In the end, they found nothing good to watch on TV, and M.K. stuck in a DVD. Soon, they were chowing on snacks and watching Ocean Eleven.

They were in the middle of the movie, when the back door came crashing open, exciting Ozzie into a barking frenzy. Professor Bomba walked in, talking one hundred miles an hour. "M.K.! You won't believe this, the meadow is almost completely-" he stopped as soon as he saw the company in his living room.

"Oh...I'm sorry...I forgot that you were having friends over." he stuttered.

M.K. got up from the couch and walked to him, "That's okay Dad," then in a whisper. "What's going on with the meadow?"

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" Bomba asked distrctedly.

Jason, always the gentlemen, stepped up with a hand out in greeting. "Hello Professor Bomba, my name's Jason Hale. I've heard a lot about you."

Bomba shook the hand, a little caught off guard. Such wonderful manners from one so young! "Ah, nice to meet you too! M.K. has told me about you as well."

At that, M.K. looked down, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. She quickly introduced the rest of her friends, feeling a bit anxious about what was going on in the forest.

"M.K. can I talk to you for a minute," Bomba asked his daughter.

She nodded and they went into the kitchen for privacy. She opened her mouth to ask about the meadow, but Bomba beat her to it. "The meadow has been attacked by those boogie things!" he blurted out.

"You mean the Boggans?" she asked fearfully. They hadn't seen a sign of them for a whole year.

"Yes those!" her dad said, then started pacing around the kitchen, talking to the floor as he explained things. "I got their around nine in the morning, and almost all the plant life were dead! Including the few flowered tick trefoil! Don't the Boggans know how endangered that flower is?!"

"Dad," she interrupted before he could go ranting about the few flower whatever. "What about the Jinn or the Leafmen? Were you able to talk to them?"

"The Jinn had ran off to different parts of the forest, and as for the Leafmen, they all said the same thing. The attack was unexpected and devastating, but they put them on the run, and not a single Leafmen or Jinn was killed," he smiled sheepishly. "So, an OK day, I guess."

She breathed a sigh of relief. If nobody was hurt, than meant Nod was okay. _And Ronin,_ she reminded herself.

"Yet the damage..." her father said, thinking aloud. "It's so messy and uncoordinated. Almost like when I lose my iPod in my office..."

Then he seem to snap out of it, and looked at his watch, "Oh jeez, look at the time! I'm going to be late for work!" He scrambled out of the kitchen, grabbing various kits and manila files, that were bursting at the seams with papers. Her father had gotten a job at an environmental research facility, and had taken the undesired evening shift. That way, he could explore the forest in the daytime.

At the door, he grabbed his briefcase and put on his coat, even though it was the middle of March, "Bye sweetheart, love you!" and he rushed out the door.

A few seconds later, he opened the door again, "Oh what am I doing? It's springtime!" He took off his coat, hung it on a hook, then was out the door again. "I'll get us some dinner on the way home!" he promised.

M.K. kept the door open, just in case her dad forgot something else, but he hopped into the car and was off. She quickly closed the door before Ozzie could get wind that the it was open. At the moment, an alarm went off by the video monitors. Something was tipping off the sensors. She was about to go over, but then hesitated.

Her friends were still watching the movie, but should she risk taking this call with them in the house? Nod only called her in the evening, so it must be really important if he was calling this early. Maybe he wanted to talk about the raid. She quickly checked the hall. Nobody there. She ran over and answered the call.

To her surprise, it wasn't Nod at the camera, but a girl with green skin and hair. Her eyes were big and a mystic meld of green and gold. She wore Leafmen armor, but had an exoskeleton on her arms and legs. She waved and smiled at M.K. as if they were old friends.

"Hi! You must be M.K.!" she bubbled. "It's nice to finally meet you!"

"Um...hi. How do you know my name?"

"Well everybody in the forest knows your name!" she said. "Your the human that saved the forest after all. My name's Lex by the way."

"Your the first one to ever call me a human," M.K. observed.

"Well that's what you are, isn't it?" Lex gave her winning smile. "I mean 'stomper' makes you sound too much like a monster. Anyway, I'm a friend of Nod's. He sent me with a message."

The grasshopper girl filled her in on the attack and Nod's 'condition'. She hushed her voice when she got to the part about the rose sprout, and something about a king that Ronin mentioned, but didn't explain.

"We've been sworn to secrecy," Lex explained. "But Nod wanted you to know, cause he can't leave Moonhaven. My friend, Thryn is guarding him."

_Thryn? Is that a girl's name or a guy's name? _M.K. thought. Before she could ask, she heard footsteps on the floor. She panicked, and said to Lex, "Gotta go," and switched off the link, just before Jason walked in.

"M.K. is everything okay?" he asked.

"Everything's fine...just skyping my cousin," she lied.

He gave her a dazzling smile, "If that's all then. Are you going to watch this movie with us? The heist is about to happen."

She got up and followed him to the living room, where the others sat, sucked in to the movie, unaware that she had ever left. M.K. tried to relax and enjoy the rest of the movie, and the company of her friends, but her mind was on the Leafmen and Nod. Mostly Nod.

It was all very mysterious, this rose attaching itself to him. Almost as if it had chosen him for something. She remembered her dad musing about lost iPods, and describing the Boggan raid. Like they were looking for something. When Dad loses anything, he goes in a craze looking for it, throwing stuff around in attempt to find it. Generally, making a mess.

Gunshots jerked her out of thoughts, but they were just from the movie, and she relaxed. She couldn't think, and she suddenly wanted to be left alone, but she couldn't shove her friends out the door. Then she wouldn't have any friends.

_Just play it cool,_ she thought. _When they leave, then you can think._

* * *

Lex was left standing there, feeling a little awkward. She knew that M.K. had to turn off the chat because someone was coming. Someone who probably didn't know of the Jinn existence and probably shouldn't. Lex still felt as if she had said something wrong, though. M.K. had switched off, right after Lex had told her that Nod was being guarded by a girl.

_Forget it,_she told herself. She didn't say whether Thryn was a girl or a boy anyway. With that, she mounted her waiting hummingbird, and took off for Moonhaven.

Lex was unaware that somebody was listening in on her conversation. A brutish, gypsy moth was standing on a branch below, hidden by leaves. He flew off, trying to make sense of the words he heard. He wasn't the smartest, more brawn than brains. He left the thinking to his boss. This conversation he overheard was apparently top secret, and that just made it more valuable. They could make some money off of selling information.

After all, it wasn't just fixed racing that Bufo indulged in.

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**teehee i bet you liked that ending! ;)**

**read, review, follow, and favorite :)**


	7. Rosebud

**Hey guys I'm treating you to a VERY long chapter. I hope it is anyway, fanfiction crunches it down, but its 8 pages long on my documents.**

**read review and enjoy! :)**

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It wasn't just one long day. It was _four_ long days.

Nod was never bored. The slug and snail kept him busy, but was he happy? Far from it.

Mub and Grub had immediately started on their caring of the sprout. They told him all sorts of things about roses.

"Roses love a deep drink of water," Grub had stated. "So you'll to drink five canteens of water a day."

"Why can't I just submerge my arm in water?" Nod had asked.

Mub had glared at him, "Roses don't like wet leaves."

It was like that for the past four days. Grub told him what roses liked, Nod would ask him a stupid question, and Mub would glare at him and tell him what roses don't like.

"Roses need at least six hours of sun a day. In the early morning."

"Why can't I do it in the afternoon?"

"The sun is too intense for them at that time."

His slimy caretakers gave him a bowl of...something to eat with his breakfast every morning. They said it was rose food, a mixture of bloodmeal, bonemeal, and alfalfa. His curiosity of what exactly what it was kind of stopped there. They said it was supposed to make him stronger, but to him, all seem to accomplish, was making him gag.

It didn't take long for Nod to notice that Mub had his eyes on Thryn. He would try to get into conversations with her, sweet talking and flattering her in every sentence. Thryn would always give him a deadpan expression and turn her back to him. But that didn't stop Mub, and he was convinced that he would win the game of 'hard to get,' even though the game was nonexistent.

Nod was just glad he could stop hitting on M.K. At least for the moment.

Thryn would just watch them, not commenting on anything. Sometimes she would get up and practice sword moves with her katanas, or play fetch with Sterling, (he didn't know dragonflies could play fetch) but often she would stare at the sprout with an intensity that unnerved him, as if she expected it to attack. She must have been so bored out of her mind, that she longed for something to attack, anything to break the monotony of the day.

When Nod got up early to get his six hours of sun, she'd get up with him, and they would sit quietly on a balcony near the top, the sentries watching them like hawks. Dawn breaking out on the forest made everything gorgeous around them, and Nod longed to go outside even more. The trees, meadows, and sky called for him, but he couldn't answer.

They wandered the halls of Moonhaven until they knew them by heart. Nod tried to blow off some steam by running, jumping, and somersaulting down the halls, with Thryn for company. But that was just the thing. He was never alone. Thryn was always there, watching him and guarding him, never letting him out of her sight. He needed space, but Thryn didn't go away. "Ronin's orders," she would say, and he'd get more aggravated.

The thing he hated most, though, was the rose. It drained him of energy fast, so he couldn't run more than a mile without feeling dizzy. He felt thirsty after ten minutes of having a long drink, and he wanted to tear this parasite off him. He missed riding his bird and leaf-boarding with his friends. Most of all, he missed talking to M.K.

On the fifth day, he woke up in his guest room to go catch the morning rays, when he felt an increased weight on his arm. He looked, and saw that that the leaves that used to hug the back of his hand had fallen off in the night, and had been replaced with a small green bud, shaped like a teardrop. He felt more lightheaded than he usually did.

Thryn, Mub, and Grub met him on the balcony. Mub and Grub eye fived when they saw the bud, and Thryn gazed at it in new wonder.

"We have not labored in vain!" Grub stated happily, in triumph.

"I'm the only one laboring here," Nod corrected. "After all, it's not attached to you."

"It's not all about you, Roseboy," Mub retorted. Nod didn't have the energy to get in an argument with Mub over his new nickname.

Thryn seem to notice. "You look a little pale..."

"I'm fine."

She snorted in disbelief, "The bud is taking more energy from you than the sprout did," Thryn looked to Mub. "Could you fetch him some water?"

"Why would I need to do that babe?" Mub replied slyly. "A tall glass of water is already here."

Thryn didn't even flicker, "Just go get the water."

Grub elbowed Mub, telling him to knock it off. The slug winked at Thryn, then he and Grub slithered out, leaving the teenagers to themselves.

"How do you do that?" Nod asked, slightly impressed.

"What?"

"Keep your face so straight. Most girls I know would at least smile at Mub's complements."

She shrugged, "It's just practice, and I've done plenty of that."

The dawn rays washed over them, shedding light on a new day. Another day stuck in Moonhaven's walls, having his nerves grated to frays by Mub and Grub's mother-henning, and Thryn's unwavering vigil. One thing was for sure...he wouldn't stand for another day of this torture.

He'll find a way to give Thryn the slip, then he'll sneak up to the hummingbird roost and fly out of here. He'll zip through the trees at top speed, do some aerial loops and dives, give himself a real adrenaline rush. Then he'll get his board and go down Hickory Hill again, and he'll chat with M.K. via the cameras. He'll dodge and ditch every Leafman that Ronin sends after him, and he won't come back to Moonhaven until he gave himself one hell of a day. He didn't care what the consequences would be.

"Queen Ariel comes back today," Thryn says, interrupting his master plan.

"Really? She's done regrowing the whole meadow already?" He didn't expect the Queen to come back so soon. She had left with her mother, her bodyguards, and a whole battalion of Leafmen to Berry Meadow, to fix the damage the Boggans had caused.

"She's stronger than she looks," Thryn replied. "But your right. With devastation on that scale, it should have taken her longer."

"Maybe it's her dreams of Tara," Nod suggested. "Could Tara be training her in them?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Either way, she'll be happy to see us."

The boy raised an eyebrow in question, so Thryn went on. "She doesn't have time for friends. Even though she's Queen, she's still a kid, and kids need friends. So she'll be excited that there are two bored teenagers in the palace."

Nod realized that he couldn't escape now; if he did, he'll be upsetting Ariel...more importantly, he'd upset the Queen. Not a good career move. A part of him said, _forget about her, she's just a kid! Go have some fun!_ Yet he knew that if he sneaked off, no matter how much fun he could have, it wouldn't cover up the guilt he'd feel.

Just one more day, Nod. Just one more day.

* * *

After sitting for six hours in the sunlight, the teenagers, the slug, and the snail, made their way down to the Queen's garden to greet her. They had watched as her escort landed on the Outcrop. Now they were being invited to brunch. A servant led them to the entrance of the garden, and the leaves that covered it parted away.

As Nod stepped through, he was suddenly hit by a strange sensation. He heard whispering and rustling all around him. He looked but there was nobody around, yet he felt multiple presences, like the room was full of people. It was almost overwhelming.

"You okay?" Thryn asked, noticing how he had stopped in his tracks.

He nodded and kept walking, not wanting to talk about it.

The Queen's garden was extensive, a real forest of flowers that you could lose yourself in. The servant led them down a winding path bordered by shiny black pebbles. They walked past a small pond garden, flourishing lily pads, water lilies, and katniss. One section had purple, pink, and red fuchsia hanging above them, and another section was a forest of foxgloves. They caught glimpses of shimmering butterflies and bright bumblebees through the foliage.

Finally, they came to a mossy clearing, surrounded by blue and purple hydrangea. In the center was a long dining table, beautifully crafted from oakwood. It had small, brown toadstools for chairs, and looked as if it could seat at least thirty people.

Sitting at the head of the table was Queen Ariel and Fara. They had a late brunch set before them, trays of pastries, berries, and nuts, with a pitcher of red berry juice. Queen Ariel gave them a big smile in welcome. They knelt to bow, but she stopped them.

"Oh please don't," she said. "I think friends don't need all that bowing and scraping."

Queen Ariel considered everybody a friend, but they obeyed. She waved a hand to the table, and they sat down. A butterfly fluttered up, and poured them glasses of juice. Nod was glad that he could sit. The beings he sensed were still all around him, and it was making him feel a little dizzy.

"Your Majesty," Grub began. "How was the regrowth of the meadow?"

"It was so awesome!" the Queen described excitedly. "I never did something so big! All the plants grew and moved where I told them to, and the meadow dwellers were so happy." She took a nut muffin off a tray, and stuffed her mouth. "And I-"

"Ariel," Fara cut in, "Eat what's in your mouth first."

"Whoops," the flower queen quickly swallowed. "Sorry. Anyway, I made a friend while I was there."

"Really?"

"Yes, his name is Zeke. He's a mushroom Jinn. He was shy at first, but he came up to me eventually and said hi."

While the Queen chattered on about her friend Zeke, Nod was trying to figure out his new development. He had been in this garden plenty of times and he never sensed this many beings. If he wasn't so skeptical, he might say the place was full of ghosts. It sure felt that way.

The only thing different now was the rose. When it was a sprout, he didn't sense anything, but now it was a bud. He felt that the answer was obvious and right in front of him, but his dizziness was getting the better of him.

He tried to imagine what Ronin would say to him if he knew about this. _Come on, Nod, think a little. Ask yourself...what exactly are you sensing? _He sensed living things. But there were only five Jinn in the room with him, why could he sensemore? _That's how many you see, Nod. Your not sensing Jinn._

That's when it hit him. The plants! All the flowers, vines, and moss around him, that's what he was feeling. His connection to the rose made him aware of the life that surrounded him, like they were people. He looked down to a little vine at his feet. He stretched out his arm with the rose on it, experimenting what would happen. Maybe the vine would shake his hand. Instead, it shied away from him, as if afraid of his touch.

"Nod?"

He now noticed that Thryn and Ariel were staring at him. "What are you doing?" Ariel asked.

"Oh um...just about to drink some juice," he said quickly, and reached for his glass, but a slimy hand slapped his away.

"Tut tut tut! You know your only supposed to drink water," Mub scolded, as if Nod was a child. "Hey waiter! Water over here, and no ice!"

Nod scowled, and Ariel tried to hold in her giggles. That moment, a Leafman in white armor, a royal guard of the Queen, came in and bowed, "Your Majesty," he said respectively, then turned to Thryn. "Your father is here to see you. He's waiting by the lily fountain."

Thryn looked surprised and a little angry. Nod heard her growl under her breath, "Now he comes?" She turned to the Queen, "If you'll excuse me, your Majesty, I have to go talk to him."

"Of course, you may go."

Thryn whispered to Grub, "Watch Nod for me," and followed the Leafman out, her back stiff.

Something was wrong, he could feel it. The air had grown tense when the word 'father' was said. Thryn, the girl that had watched him like a falcon for four days, had just left at the call of her dad! It was the first time in days that she wasn't around him. Yet, it didn't feel right.

Grub, who at first was paying attention, got distracted when Mub started showing off his eye tricks to Ariel. Soon, there was a competition between them, over who could stick their eyes out of their mouths' the furthest. Ariel thought it was funny, whereas he thought it was gross.

"I just need to use the washroom," he said as he got up.

"It's down the path to the left," Fara instructed.

"Thanks," and Nod left, walking down the path until he was out of sight. Nod turned right and sprinted off the path and into the forest of flowers. He and Thryn had passed a fountain when they were being guided to the Queen, and he made an estimated shortcut. He just hoped there weren't anymore fountains that they could be at.

He jogged through the garden, passing through dark areas and light areas, where the sun broke through. It started to get really dense with grass stalks, so Nod held out his arm. Like the vine, the stalks shied away whenever the rose came near them, making the travel easier.

It troubled him though. It's like the plants thought the rose was poison or something. As he kept going, he heard the trickle of water and voices. Quietly, the Leafman crept closer, and peeked through the rocks in front of him.

Thryn and a man had their backs to him, sitting on a stone bench in a circular clearing. The ground was made of cobbles and in the center, a stone fountain sang with water. A tiger lily, carved from the stone, sat at it's top, spitting water up from it's center, and sent it back down to the bottom basin.

The man had a weathered face, a beard, blond hair, and tired gray eyes. He looked like he was guilty of something. Nod focused all his hearing on them, trying to block out the fountain.

"I'm sorry, I only got your message today. Garen received it and sent Sterling back to you," the man said.

"Well I'm glad Garen was there, but what could have possibly kept you from the farm for four days?" Thryn asked, irate.

The man didn't answer, only stared at the fountain, not meeting his daughter's eyes.

"Oh no Dad, you didn't," she said, her voice cracking. "You promised me you wouldn't!"

"Listen, I was only going for one race, but there were these new card games set up in the lounge. I played a few, not betting a lot."

To Nod, this seemed backward. The was father explaining himself to the daughter, and she looked ready to chew him out. There were tears in her eyes, threatening to fall. Her fists were clenched and she spoke through gritted teeth. "Your holding something back," she stated.

The father looked like he wanted to melt into the ground, "Then Bufo came up and offered a game...I thought I had a good chance at winning."

"That's what you always think!" she shrieked. "Haven't you figured out by now that Bufo hustles and cheats? He flashes money right under your nose, and your hooked, then he can't lose!

The man seemed to regain his nerve, "Don't speak to me like that young lady! I'm a grown man, and I can do what I like!"

"A grown man would care about his daughter!" she shot back.

"That's not the issue right now," he held up his hands placatingly. "We have big problems right now."

"Did you bet more than the house this time?"

"More than the farm."

Thryn paled, "We could...lose our farm? Can he even do that?"

"I'm not willing to find out. The deadline is the day after tomorrow."

She got up, making a decision, "I'll go to the Queen, maybe she'll make a donation."

He grabbed her arm, "No, you can't let anyone know. If that general finds out, he'll court martial you."

"Ronin?" she looked confused. "He's not like that, and why would he do that anyway?"

"Do you know how bad it would look if this gets out? People won't trust you because your dad's a gambler. They'll be expecting you to steal from them to help cover our debts."

"This is _your_ debt Dad, but now I'm involved. How else are we supposed to pay it off?"

He hesitated, "I...I need you to borrow some money from the...the vault."

Her eyes widened and her knuckles turned white, "You mean steal. From the Queen," she growled. Thryn shook her head, "No way, I'm not doing that, I can't believe you'd think I'd do that!"

"Sweetheart, it's the only way...I want you to have a home to come back to on your days off, on the holidays. If you don't do it, then I'll have to hand over everything...including the dragonflies."

This was the final blow for Thryn's resolve. Her face seem to crumple, and she covered it up with her hands. Her father put a comforting touch on her shoulder, but she shook it off. When she looked up again, her expression was harder than a mountain. "How much money is it?"

He whispered it, as if scared of her reaction. Nod didn't catch it, and Thryn's face remained stone cold.

"I'll get the money but not for you," the Leafgirl said. "I'm doing this for the dragonflies, and for Garen, and all the farmhands, but your wasting your time. When this is over, I'm not coming back." With that finality, she stood and marched out, strong as a soldier.

Her father looked on, guilty tears starting stream down his old face. After a minute, he stood and walked out, his head low, tears of regret falling on the path.

Nod sat back, trying to take this all in. Instead of feeling accomplished, he felt solid guilt, weighing him down. He wasn't supposed to listen to that. It wasn't for his ears. The rose shifted, sensing his emotions, and uncoiled itself from his arm. It lifted itself up like a snake, and laid it's bud against his shoulder. The little leaves hugged him.

He was too depressed to be shocked by this, but he cleared his head. The comforting gesture of the rose snapped him back to the world. He knew that the only thing to do now, was to stop his friend from making a big mistake.

* * *

**Hey readers, im going to draw character sketches for you guys, so you know what my oc's look like. Maybe ill do one with them leaf-boarding and another of nod and the rose.**

**Ill paste the link to get you to my deviantArt account when one of them is ready :) **

**As always, review please! :D**


	8. Ransacked

**Hey peps enjoy this chap, thank you for all the reviews!**

** Some shout-outs to wolf girl811, genbo, Quillink14, sweetasiana, WlydClaw, Alicia, Wolfheart929, and all the Guest reviewers. You guys rock :)**

* * *

It was only late that evening, that Nod worked up the guts to talk to Thryn. He had made it back to brunch before Grub had noticed he was gone. Thryn came in a little later, her eyes a bit red from crying, but nobody asked or said anything about it. Brunch continued and then Nod and Thryn spent the day with Queen Ariel. She had them play hopscotch, card games, board games, and a match of kickball. Nod couldn't help but laugh or smile in her presences. She loved having fun and being youthful, and even Thryn laughed a little, despite her current predicament.

The day was coming to an end, and Thryn was walking back with him to their rooms. Outside the door, he stopped, deciding now be a good time as any.

"Hey can I talk to you," he rubbed the back of his head. "In private?"

She nodded, and they walked into her room. It looked much the same as Nod's, with a flower bed in the corner, shaded lanterns for light, another door leading off to a bathroom, and a square table dominating the center of the room. The table was piled with books, drawings, and bags of dead bugs for Sterling. As they went in, Sterling tried to get to a bug, but Thryn shooed him away, made the dragonfly perch on a chair, then gave him one.

They seated themselves, and Nod had to push books away to create elbow room. He gazed at some sketches of butterflies before Thryn cleared her throat, reminding him she was still here.

How should he start this? Of course, there really was no easy way to tell her, so he should just get it over with, "I followed you and your dad. I eavesdropped on your conversation."

He waited for all hell to break loose, even shut his eyes tight just in case. Instead, there was silence, and he peeked open an eye, to find Thryn staring at him with silent contempt. Guess she wasn't much of a yeller.

"How much did you hear?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Your going to loose your bug farm to Bufo, because your dad is in debt. And your going to steal money from Moonhaven's treasury to pay it off."

She was digging her nails into the table, marring the wood. Sterling buzzed nervously, feeling her anger. With fear, Nod realized that she was capable of killing him, to keep the secret. But he couldn't back out now.

"I want to help you," he reassured. "I don't want to turn you in, and I don't want you to loose your job because of your father's mistakes."

"How can you help me?" she asked, furious. "Do you so happen to have eight hundred copper coins in your pocket?"

Nod blanched at that. _Eight hundred coppers?_ Her dad must be nuts! Thryn nodded her head in something close to defeat, "Unless you have a better idea, then I have to steal from Moonhaven. I don't want to, but I have no choice."

"There's always a choice," Nod didn't know exactly what he was saying, but he kept going. "Is the bug farm important enough to ruin your career?"

She glared at him, "Exhibit A: it's my home. Exhibit B: if I don't do this, then good people loose their jobs, and exhibit C: I don't want Bufo to win."

Nod opened his mouth to say more, but she went on, very angry now, "That's the thing! He always wins! He cheats, lies, steals, and God knows what else, but you can't nail him! He's untouchable, and he ruins lives, like he trying to ruin mine right now! Somebody should do something, but how do get a guy who can cover his tracks so well?"

Nod remembered working for Bufo. He lost races on purpose so Bufo could get more money, and when he was supposed to win, but didn't, he got bruises to the gut. He was payed, but it wasn't honest money. He didn't know at the time, but he may have ruined lives being Bufo's employee. If it wasn't for Ronin, then he'd be still doing it.

Thryn was right. Somebody should do something, but all Nod could do was sit in the palace, like a prisoner. All he knew how to do was cause trouble. He clenched his fists, then stood up.

"Meet me in the hall tomorrow, earlier than usual."

She looked at him strangely, "Why?"

"We're going to pay a visit to the debtor."

"What? No, you can't leave Moonhaven!"

"I'm trying to help you Thryn," he said. "I'm your friend, and I'm not going to let you make a stupid mistake. This is the only way I can help."

"Say if agreed...what can you say to Bufo that'll make him change his mind?"

"I'll offer him a deal he can't refuse."

She stared at him, an eyebrow lifted in question.

"I'm only going to tell you, after you promise not to try and stop me, and come with me instead," Nod said, crossing his arms.

"And if I refuse?"

"I'll tell Ronin."

"And if I threatened to tell him your trying to escape?"

He shrugged, "It won't matter, cause you'll be out of a job."

Thryn felt like a cornered animal, "Your trapping me," she growled.

"Sometimes you have to box your friends in to help them," he replied. "Just know that the feeling's mutual when it comes to Bufo."

The girl slumped her shoulders in defeat, looked at the books and drawings on the table, glanced at Sterling, then met his eyes. Nod was surprised to find her close to tears.

"What do you have in mind?"

He took that as an agreement, and sat down again, to tell her his plan.

"Here's what we'll do."

* * *

That same evening, M.K. came home after a night out with her friends. They had gone to a movie and then had some dinner at the local diner. Jason had dropped everybody at their homes, and M.K. was the last in the car. She tried her best to not let an awkward silence fall between them, but eventually ran out of things to say or talk about.

They pulled up the driveway of her house, and M.K. was glad to be home. She had a physics essay due on Monday, and she hadn't even started yet. The windows were dark, but that was expected. Her Dad didn't get home until it was late.

"Well here we are," Jason said, unnecessarily.

"Thanks for the ride," she said with a smile.

"Oh it was nothing," he said. "Did you have a fun time?"

"Yes, it was great. To bad I got homework to do." She looked at her house.

"Yeah, to bad...well you see M.K. I wanted to ask you if-"

"Hold that thought," she interrupted. M.K. got out of the car and walked a few steps to her porch, but didn't go up the stairs. She squinted through the darkness, waiting for her eyes to adjust.

A car door slammed and Jason came up behind her, "What's wrong?"

She replied in a whisper, "My front door's open."

Sure enough, the door was open a little, and they could see a ragged hole where the doorknob was supposed to be. Jason ran back to his car, and took out a tire iron. He and M.K. sneaked up the steps, Jason in front, and silently pushed open the door. Though it was dark, the moonlight spilled in, and M.K. could make out objects and papers strewn across the floor. Jason, with his tire iron raised, flicked on the lights.

It was like a wild beast had come through and knocked over every piece of furniture, and torn through every book and manila folder. The foyer had spilled over boxes, broken display cases of her father's forest collections, and papers everywhere. She and Jason picked their way through the wreckage, trying not to break anything else.

She was about to call out Ozzie's name, but Jason raised a finger for silence. He pointed upstairs, "I'm going to look there," he whispered. "Arm yourself and stay down here."

M.K. nodded and Jason silently went upstairs. He was being incredibly brave, but she didn't let herself admire this for too long. She picked up a broken piece of wood and walked through her house like she was the intruder.

The kitchen was a disaster, with the chairs and table upturned and the contents of the fridge scattered everywhere. Broken plates and glassless covered the counter top, and the more she saw of her house, the angrier she got. She hoped the vandals who did this were still here, for she felt like hitting them really hard.

Finally, she made it to the her dad's study. This was the worst room yet. She couldn't even see the floor through all the papers, books, science instruments, tools, and even smashed computer hardware. The only thing untouched were the video monitors, except one had a cracked screen, like someone had taken a frustrated punch to it.

"Ozzie!" she exclaimed when she saw her dog. He was passed out on the floor, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. She knelt next to him, and picked him up. Thank God, he was still breathing!

"M.K." Jason called from upstairs. "Everything's alright. Whoever was here are gone now!"

But everything was not alright. Her house was ransacked and her dog unconscious.

That physics paper was going to have to wait.

* * *

The police arrived and taped off the entrance of the house. M.K. was continually blinded by flashing blue and red lights. Jason had called, and they had waited outside for them. Jason mentioned Ozzie over the phone, and a paramedic had come along, even though dogs wasn't his specialty. Ozzie was being checked out now, and M.K. was distracted by worry. She tried hard to listen and answer the questions the police woman was asking.

They recounted their discovery to the police woman, not leaving out a single detail. A car pulled up the driveway, and her dad got out of it. His forehead was creased with concern, and he rushed over to them.

"M.K." he said breathlessly, and pulled her into a comforting hug. It was nice, but it wasn't going to fix what had been broken.

Her father pulled away, "Is Ozzie...?"

"I think he'll be okay Dad," she reassured, but she didn't feel as sure she sounded.

"Excuse me, but are you the father?" the police woman asked.

"Yes, that's me, Professor Bomba Radcliffe."

"My name's Detective Harriet Sullivan, and I would just like to ask you a few questions."

"Of course, of course go ahead."

"Well first off, is this your wife?" she pointed behind them, and M.K. turned to find a woman. She had the perfect hourglass figure, long blond hair, and green eyes framed by silver glasses. She wore a smart-looking blouse, black skirt, and gray jacket, with heels. She blushed when the detective had popped the question.

"Oh no, I'm just a colleague from work, that's all," she said hurriedly. "Terry Britt, I'm a scientist at the Oak Valley Institute of Conservasational Science."

Detective Sullivan scribbled this down, while M.K. stared at this woman with astonishment. Her father had never mentioned this _colleague_ of his.

"You must be M.K." Terry beamed. "It's nice to finally meet you, Bomba can't stop talking about you at work!"

"Oh uh...yes it's a...pleasure."

"Excuse me," Bomba asked Sullivan. "But when can I go in the house. Maybe I can help you find what was stolen."

"In a minute sir, our forensics team are sweeping for prints, and we can't have the area tainted."

The detective continued to ask a series of questions, ones M.K. had already heard. She wandered off to the her porch and stared into the open door. Through the tape, she saw men in blue windbreakers and rubber gloves, picking up various items off the floor, inspecting them. She hated that her father's work was being rummaged through by the police, and knew with dread, that some of it would be carried off to the station for evidence. She didn't want people to have, even an inkling of an idea, of what her and her dad do.

The girl's eyes scanned her porch. Maybe the police missed something. Her gaze fell on the splintered hole where the door knob and lock used to be. She wondered how the thieves pulled that off, for it looked as if someone had punched it in. On the wood, she noticed something. It looked familiar. _What is that? _she thought.

"Hey M.K.!" Jason came up behind her, tearing her gaze from the door. She knew it was something important, but the answer was floating in her head, out of reach.

"I'm so sorry about your house..." Jason began.

"It's alright. That was very brave of you, you know. Coming inside with me, with a tire iron."

He smiled, "Couldn't just leave you to go in all by yourself. The paramedic told me your dog's going to be fine. He was just knocked out with chloroform, and he's a bit drowsy, but some food and water should make him feel better."

M.K. felt relief lift a weight of her shoulders, and her spirits bolstered. "Thank God for that," She turned to her house and glared at it. "I hope they find they guys who did this."

"Me too," he agreed. "Um...I know this isn't the best time, but I need to ask..."

She remembered that she had abruptly interrupted him in the car, and felt a bit guilty for that.

"What is it?"

He kept blinking and started wringing his hands together. This was new to M.K. She had never seen Jason so nervous before. Usually he was cool, calm, collected, but now he looked like a kid presenting a blank paper in front of the class.

"Would you like to...go out some time...just the two of us?"

Now it was M.K.'s turn to feel nervous. She knew that she shouldv'e expected something like this, but the timing was terrible and it threw her off guard. Nod popped in her head. She couldn't go out with Jason when she was with another guy, even if that guy was two inches tall and lived in the woods. Then again...were Nod and her even in a real relationship with one another?

Jason's beautiful blue eyes were boring into hers, and she knew that her silence was only making things worse.

"Jason," she began. "I...I like you but...I can't. I have a boyfriend."

The look she got made her want to hit herself, "You do?" he asked, stunned and red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry...I didn't know."

"It's okay," M.K. reassured. "We can just be friends..."

"Of course, yeah...I need to get home," he said. "Good night M.K."

"Good night," and he walked to his car, hands in his pockets, and drove away, leaving M.K. feeling worse than she already was. She was about to sulk off to her dad, when she remembered the door. She got as close as she could without ticking off the cops, and squinted at the wood.

Her eyes widened, and her heart stopped. _No it can't be! How is that possible?!_

Festering on the wood, like a disease, was Boggan rot.

* * *

Wrathwood had always lived in shadows. When daylight leaked away, the Boggans had to make do with no light, until dawn arrived. Some Boggans preferred this, and some didn't, but it was just the way it was, and always would be.

This didn't apply to their leader of course. He must have some light, day and night, for his extensive library of books and scrolls. At the moment, he hunched over his rotting desk, scrawling away on paper that hadn't disintegrated yet. He wore a shiny black cape with a red hourglass mark on the back; the skin of a black widow. He had kept the legs, which hung off the back and over his shoulders. Sometimes when he moved, the legs looked as if they had a mind of their own, and were still alive to a writhing black widow. His face was hidden behind the head of the spider, his eyes peered out of two empty sockets, though some said he could use all eight of the sockets, and never be surprised from above, behind, or the sides. No one knew his real face.

He turned and rolled up the scroll, the spider legs swinging at the movement. The leader hardly ever spoke, but when he did, it was a deep, old voice, that sounded wise and menacing at the same time.

"Get this message to Bufo, the bookie," he commanded a Boggan guard.

"Yes, Lord Batlash," the Boggan said, bowing then hurrying away.

Lord Batlash internally sighed. He wasn't a king like Mandrake, he was only a Lord, and he couldn't change it. The ancient laws of the Boggans decreed that he could not have the title of King, unless he was given the throne as an inheritance gift. Both Mandrake and Dagda, had died before they could pass on the power to anyone else.

The only way to be called a King now, is to do something worthy of a king. For Boggans, that was invading and conquering their neighbors. For Batlash, however, it was getting the King's rose.

* * *

**Hey guys I finished the first character sketch of Ross heres the link:**

art/Ross-383751865

**if you cant get to it, ill just post on my profile for good measures :)**

** As always, please make an effort to review, just type up a few words, if you do or dont like it. Its all I ask... ;)**


	9. Deal

**I HAD TO RETYPE ALMOST THE WHOLE THING, I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS AND YOU FEEL SO STUPID AND THERES NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO GET IT BACK...phew had to get that off my chest (gotta need to rant about these things)**

**anyway on with the story! :)**

* * *

Thryn and Nod woke up earlier, an hour and a half before sunrise. They each got dressed in their normal forest clothes, before meeting each other outside in the hall. Nod had slipped a makeshift cast on his arm, hiding the rose's bulk. Now people would think he had a broken arm, and not look twice.

Nod had never seen Thryn out of her uniform before, so it came as a bit strange. She wore a dark green tank top with long black sleeves, green pants, and black mouse skin boots. A hooded shawl of holly leaves hung over her shoulders. Her hair was braided, instead of in a pony tail. She had left her twin swords behind, and carried the quarterstaff instead. Sterling perched on the top.

"What?" she asked irritably, and Nod realized he had been staring at her for a while.

He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Nothing..."

She snorted and led the way. They jogged quietly through the stone halls of Moonhaven, taking the stairs to the top. Finally, they came to a set of big, wooden door; the entrance to the hummingbird roost. The door opened on well-oiled hinges, so their entry was silent. The birds were all still asleep. A guard had been posted inside the roost, and they quickly ducked behind the racks of riding tack.

"Ronin knows me to well," Nod whispered.

"How do we get a bird now?"

Nod peeked out wearily. The guard had his back turned and he spotted a familiar shape. The scruffy old sparrow that he had acquired last year was snoozing on a perch, his eyes half closed in content. Nod had named him Cricket, after discovering the bird was a sucker for them. His belly was rounder, suggesting he did a lot of eating and not enough exercise.

That was about to change.

"Grab a saddle and bridle," he told Thryn. "I'll get a bird." The Leafman waited for the guard to get to the far side of the roost, then he silently ran up to the sleeping sparrow.

He gently shook the bird awake, placing a hand on Cricket's beak to stop him from cheeping. There was a light of recognition in his bird's eyes, and Nod guided him to step down from the perch. He pushed the bird along, hoping the sentry was to far away to hear the faint clicks of talons on wood.

Cricket managed to squeeze into the small space behind the rack. Thryn held a green, hummingbird saddle and bridle slung over her shoulder. Sterling had flew outside to wait for them.

Thryn looked at Cricket in distaste, "What is _this_?"

Nod crossed his arms, "He's my bird."

"This old thing? Why didn't you get a hummingbird?" she demanded.

"This bird knows me, and the Leafman would've noticed if I took a hummingbird," he said defensively. "I won a race on this bird once."

"I guess that's suppose to make me feel better."

"Just help me get the tack on before the guard comes back."

As quietly as he could, Nod adjusted the straps of the saddle, while Thryn slipped the bridle on Cricket. Since the tack was meant for the much smaller hummingbird, Nod had to loosen and stretch the buckles but luckily, it just managed to fit.

"Now how do we get past the sentries outside?" Thryn asked.

Nod replied. "We have to fly straight up to the sky. The Leafmen will be looking out of Moonhaven. Then we fly high enough, until they can't see us."

"Sounds simple enough."

"Yes, but we must be careful, for they might just look up. They were trained that way, after all, to check for Boggan attacks."

She nodded and peered out from the hiding place. The guard was still patrolling the other areas of the roost, but he'd be coming back soon. Quickly and quietly as they could, they ran down the rows of birds, Nod pulling Cricket along. Fortunately, the sleeping birds didn't stir. They made it to the center room, which had an open ceiling to the sky, that was beginning to turn pink. Dawn was coming.

"Come on, Cricket," Nod said as he hopped on. "Show Thryn what you can do,"

"Just get going," she said impatiently, as she climbed on behind him. "The guard's coming back."

He reined Cricket into the air, and they flew straight up and out. In their favor, a wind blew through the trees, covering any sound they might make, and the darkness hid them from the sight of sentries. Sterling caught up with them, and flew behind Cricket, keeping out of sight of the bird's eyes. He didn't need training to know that sparrows liked to eat his kind.

Soon, they were high in the sky, the cold wind raising goosebumps on his skin and whipping his hair away from his face. He felt such elation and joy to be back in the sky, that he almost let out a whoop. Thryn, sensing this, pinched him in the side.

"Don't," she warned. "Not yet."

"Just relishing the freedom, that's all," he said with a toothy grin.

"Guess you never know a good thing until it's gone," she mused.

Her words made him think of M.K. He didn't know how much he cared about her until she left for home. What would become of them? Could they keep this up, pretending everything was okay with where they were? If he ever wanted to be with her, than one of them would have to give up a home. A world.

If this was a joyride, he'd head straight for the nearest video cam and ring her up, but he wasn't out here for himself. Okay maybe a little for himself, but for Thryn most of all.

"Time to visit the races," he said, and steered Cricket to the west.

* * *

The escapees landed in a tree a couple of yards away from Bufo's. They were on the edge of the meadow that was used for the races, and dawn had broken. It wouldn't be long before Mub and Grub noticed they were gone, and notified Ronin, but they had no way of knowing that they were at Bufo's place. It would take a while for the search parties to reach this far west.

"Stay Cricket," Nod said to the bird, making a signal with his hands. The sparrow chirped, huffing a little from the flight.

"I have to admit," Thryn said. "He got us here pretty fast, despite being a little overweight."

"Like I always say. It's not the bird, it's how you ride it."

Thryn ignored him and jumped down to the ground. She made a signal to Sterling, and the dragonfly zoomed off into the vegetation. "Don't need him getting eaten by all the birds in there," she muttered.

The teenagers ran across the forest floor, up to the ground entrance of the gigantic tree. The crowds were sparse and spread out, due to the earliness, so it was easy to move up the stairs and out into the grandstand branches. The first race of the day was getting set up, with Jinn lining up at the betting windows, and birds flying warm-up laps around the tree.

"Where would Bufo be right now?" Thryn asked.

"He'd be up in the lounge, getting breakfast," he said, pointing to the top of tree. "The lounge is for the exclusives only."

"So how are we going to get in?"

"Exclusives extend to the jockeys," Nod stated proudly.

"But you were fired!"

He frowned, "I know, but do you have a better idea?"

If looks could kill, her's would've vaporized him, "Alright wise guy, let's see you bluff your way in."

"Watch me," he said with a cocky smile, and power jumped to the lounge, skipping the stairs. He caught the attention of a few Jinn, but he didn't care. Thryn took the more subtle way of running up the stairs, and then leaping to the branch.

The entrance was guarded by a massive bulk of a bumble bee, his big black eyes regarding them with suspicion. He purposely moved in front of the entrance, which extended into a hall. It veered off, hiding what went on inside, and music leaked out.

"Hey Trippy," Nod said casually with a smile. "Great day, isn't it? How's it going?"

Trippy only narrowed his eyes in annoyance, and Nod was suddenly reminded of Thryn. He glanced over to see she was also giving him a piercing gaze.

"Well, nice talking to you," he finished, and moved around the bumble bee, trying to act like he owned the place. A shiny, muscular black arm (or leg?) barred his way.

"Push off runt, your not allowed," the bouncer growled.

"No need to be unreasonable buddy," the Leafman said smoothly. "In case you've forgotten, I'm a jockey for Bufo."

The bee blinked slowly, as if trying to remember. Then he came to a conclusion, "No your not. Bufo fired you."

Nod had been depending on the advantage that Trippy didn't know that yet. In his time working for Bufo, he had gotten to know the bee, and had learned that the bug didn't listen to gossip. But he guessed that Bufo kept him updated with a list of who were allowed in the lounge, and who he should throw off the tree.

"Oh that?" he wondered aloud, putting on a little innocent act. "That was nothing, Bufo and I just had a disagreement, but it's all over now. I'm here to talk to him."

The bee didn't looked convince, but Thryn suddenly stepped forward, "It's alright Trippy, I understand." she said knowingly.

The bee looked at her strangely and Nod mirrored it. What was she doing?

"You understand what?" Trippy asked.

She sighed and patted his shoulder, "The big boss man is too cool to let you know what's going on around here. All the guy thinks about is the next big score, not caring about the welfare of his employees. Has he ever asked you how your day is going?"

The bee was buzzing angrily, "No he hasn't." His eyes were scrunched up, the thought never occurring to him before. "Never thinks about anybody but himself! No manners at all."

"I hear you buddy. Us little guys gotta stick together though," she announced, and the bee's face lit up with a smile. "Maybe you could help us out..." Thyrn trailed off.

"With what?"

"Well, we want to talk to Bufo, give him a piece of our minds. He should know that it's downright wrong to trample the little guys into the dirt!"

"Yeah he should know!" Trippy agreed.

"I'm going to tell him that he isn't pushing me down, and even if he does, I'm going to get right back up, and push him back!" she exclaimed, getting on a roll. Nod had never seen Thryn like this. She sure had a way with words when they came out of her mouth. Her voice was distinct, the kind that made everybody turn their heads to listen.

"Okay well..." Nod interrupted, before Thryn could start a revolution. "Can we go in?"

"Yes, yes!" Trippy said, remembering that he blocked the way. "Go ahead!"

They moved through the door, and walked down the hall, clear of the first obstacle. Nod grumbled a little, "He conveniently forgot that _I _asked him how his day was going."

"Guess you don't count," she said tartly.

He harrumphed, but then started chuckling. "Great speech back there, by the way."

She fixed him with a cool gaze, "Like I said. I do what needs to be done."

He shook his head. This girl was too unpredictable.

* * *

The lounge was a big room, carved from the tree and the floor carpeted by moss. The ceiling was open to the sky and had an amazing view of the race track. A band played in the far corner of the room, and Jinn mingled around, engaged in conversation or involved at a card table. Playing cards were flicked out and the sound of chips being gathered or pushed away filled the room, amongst the laughter and music. It was the perfect place to lose-rather than win-money.

On the left side of the room was the bar, the shelves packed with bottles, jars, gourds, and pitchers of alcohol. A spider-like Jinn was the bartender, his many legs pouring, stirring, shaking, and serving drinks all at once. The bookie himself was sitting on one of the mushroom stools, flirting and laughing with a pretty female frog in a yellow dress. His two bodyguards sat next to them, glaring at everybody suspiciously.

Further down the table was Thryn's father, hunched over and his hair messed up. He looked as if he had slept there over night. An empty shot glass was next to him, but from the looks of things, he definitely had more than one drink. The bartender was already busy filling it up with a golden liquid.

"Oh Dad..." Thryn said softly. "So this is where you went after we fought."

Nod waited for her to gather herself. If they were going up against Bufo, he didn't want any of their weaknesses to show. She took a deep breath and that hard look returned to her eyes, zeroing it on Bufo. She was ready.

Bufo saw them as they approached, and surprise flickered for a moment on his face, but he covered it with a cold smile. "Well what do you know? It's my favorite jockey, Nod. Or should I say ex-jockey?"

Some Jinn from the crowd turned at Bufo's voice. Nod recognized them as part of Bufo's gang. They looked like nice, normal people, that is, until they took you out back and gave you close-ups of their fists.

"Nice to see you Bufo," Nod greeted and looked around the room slowly. "The place hasn't changed much," he muttered in disappointed tone.

Bufo caught the passive insult and felt a flash of irritation, but he smiled as if Nod had made a joke. The bullfrog didn't seem to notice Thryn, who went up to her father. The bartender was busy pouring the man another drink, but a glare from his daughter stopped him in mid-pour. He busied himself with the other customers.

Nod took a seat without an invitation, and the female frog batted her eyelashes at him, which Bufo did not appreciate.

"Hey babe, why don't you go play a game?" Bufo said. "Bet all you like, its on my tab."

The lady frog knew this was an order, not a request, but that didn't stop her from winking at Nod as she walked away.

Bufo wasn't mister nice guy anymore, and he glared dangerously at Nod, "You got some death wish to show your face round here again, punk. What do you want?"

His hostile tone was like a signal to his gang, to get ready for a brawl, but Nod showed no fear. He couldn't afford to, "I just want to talk about a friend of mine, who's in debt with you."

"Well that narrows it down," the bookie grunted sarcastically. "Your gonna have to more specific."

"She's standing right behind me."

Bufo looked at Thryn and her father, the former sending death stares at him, "Oh yes..." he said. "Well, Karow gambled away a lot of money, and now it's his problem to fix. He pays up or bad things happen. It's none of your business, so explain why your sticking your nose in it."

"She's my friend," Nod replied, tensing up despite himself. "I'm not letting you take her farm."

"In that case, I'll have to see the money your so willing to pay for her," Bufo growled, holding out his palm for the cash.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a challenge," the teen smirked. "I'll race against the debt. If I win, Thryn and her father owe you nothing and you'll leave them alone, and if I lose...then the debt is doubled."

Thryn rounded on him like wounded animal, "You didn't mention this in the plan!" She only managed to keep her voice in a whisper. He gave her an apologetic smile but she was beyond furious.

In his time working for him, Nod had learned that Bufo loved a challenge, so long as he had most of the cards in his hands. Nod could tell that Bufo hadn't changed at all since he left, so there was a good chance that he'd accept the bet. The double-or-nothing condition was meant to entice him.

Bufo's calculative mind gauged all the angles, thinking fast. It was one of things that made him successful at this business. "Now Nod, why would I want to risk losing all that money, that is sure to come my way, to a pathetic bet offered by a sniveling whelp?"

Nod had seen this coming, and although he knew it was unwise, the only way to get Bufo to accept the bet, was that he had to stack the odds against himself. "I'll race the bird with the lowest odds. Every race track has an underdog, doesn't it? I'll ride the worst one you got."

Bufo's face remain stoic for some seconds, but a smile creeped on his lips, and all of the sudden he was laughing like Nod had just said the most hilarious joke ever. His goons were bewildered but they started laughing along, like the stupid yes-men they were. They had got the attention of the whole lounge, and Jinn had stopped in mid-conversation to watch them. It must have looked bizarre.

Bufo eased up on his fit enough to form words, "I really do like you Nod! You got guts, an endless arsenal of it!" He was talking loudly enough for the whole room to hear, "But honestly, I don't feel interested in taking your offer, even on those terms."

Nod was in a tight spot now. How could he help Thryn if he couldn't get Bufo to take the bait? "Oh come on Bufo, the advantage would be all yours! Look, I can throw in a broken arm!" He waved his bandaged left arm, drawing the whole room's attention to it. He hadn't want to show if off, but he didn't know what else to do.

"With your abilities, kid, you could have no limbs, and still ride the damn bird," Bufo said simply. He got up and turned his back on them, practically dismissing the teenagers. The bookie was done talking.

"Oh, so your scared I'd win?" The words blurted out before Nod could stop them. The bullfrog froze dead in his tracks, his back stiffening. His voice had carried out through the whole room, echoing mercilessly, adding insult to injury. _Me and my stupid, big mouth, _he thought. _You just want to challenge the guy, not get murdered by him! _

Bufo smiled evilly, "Scared of wet-nosed punk like you? I'm not scared of anything!"

"Then prove it Bufo!" Nod challenged, chin raised in defiance. "Like you said, I am the great and awesome Nod...maybe I'm too tough for you to take on?"

The crowd whispered in excitement, his name being thrown around, all across the room. His popularity rivaled Bufo's. He was a crowd favorite, and Bufo would look bad if he didn't rise to the challenge. Not just in front of his customers, but also in front of his goons; he couldn't afford to show weakness or fear in front of the kind of men he bossed around.

The expression on the bookie's face spelled death for the boy. Nod met it with a fiery, determined look, smirking just to further infuriate the frog.

"Your just asking, _begging,_ for it aren't you?" Bufo growled in an undertone, so no one else but Nod heard it.

"Do we have a deal, Bufo?"

The frog stuck out his hand, and they shook, "Deal."

* * *

**IMPORTANT QUESTION: my Muse got this idea in her head and she needs your opinions on it:**

**What would be the best symbol you can think of that would represent imagination?**

**Like the dove represents peace and the skull and cross bones represent pirates or poison, just for imagination instead. Please pm me your ideas or put them in your review.**

**R&R! :)**


	10. Blue Jay

**i know you guys were expecting the race as the next chapter but i cant just jump right into without Nod meeting the bird he has to ride, so heres what you might call a filler...next chapter will be the race,i promise**

**sorry i dont own anything...**

* * *

The deal had been made. Now all that was left, was to race the unluckiest bird in the tree.

He was the most beautiful bird Nod had ever laid eyes on. A large but sleek, build of muscles, covered by blue and white feathers, and supported by long, black legs that were about as tall as Nod. His wings had an attractive pattern of black stripes on blue and white, not to mention a long tail that would fan out wide in flight. He had a gleam in his black eyes that suggested curiosity, and when his blue crest rose, it gave him a look of majesty.

The bird was a blue jay, named Flitterbite.

The only thing Nod did not find appealing about this bird, was the long, black beak that kept trying to snap off a part of his body.

A groom had escorted them to the roost. Thryn and Nod had passed by many different bird species that coexisted peacefully together in the different parts of the tree. The races had already begun, and Nod was given only an hour to meet and get to know his mount.

The boy met his bite almost immediately upon entering his part of the roost, and if it wasn't for the groom's warning, he'd be missing something important right now.

It wasn't that this bird was old or slow, that made his odds a hundred to one. It was that he was way to wild and aggressive. He only let the groom get near him, while he kept his black eyes pinned on Nod and Thryn, who had kept just outside his roost.

The roost he occupied had a wall that was open to the air, a perch just outside for him to sit on. It had a view of the finish line, grandstands, and the winner's branch, which stuck out over the grandstands. So everybody could see the winner.

"He's just restless, that's all," the groom reassured. He was flower Jinn with a white clover flower on his head. The boy looked about the Queen's age, and was skinny enough to make Nod wonder how much he ate. He stroked the jay's beak, trying to calm him down, but the jay wouldn't stop shuffling, and he snapped the air threateningly at Nod and Thryn.

"Nod, you can't be serious..." Thryn said, her eyes not leaving the bird.

"He's all we have."

"But he's..."

"Restless."

"I was going to say insane!"

If bird's could glare, then Nod swore Flitterbite was doing it. He inhaled deeply, relaxing himself, just like his dad taught him to do when first meeting a bird. He called upon his inner calmness, knowing the bird would sense it. Yet the jay had his plumage flattened to his body, in the nervous/scared way that birds show.

His father's voice rang in his head, _It's all about body language and energy, Nod._ The bird wasn't calm, therefore, there was bad energy in the room. Thryn was tense and impatient, and the Jinn boy wasn't scared-he was standing next to the bird after all- but he wrung his hands in anxiety.

"Okay, Thryn, I don't mean to be...mean, but if I have bad energy in this room, then I can't get through to him," he said evenly, hoping he didn't unintentionally set off a bomb.

Fortunately, she understood, "That's fine...I need to get back to my Dad anyway. Make sure he doesn't bet any money on you, or waste himself in the bar. Good luck, Nod." She left, and it was like something exhaled in the room, and Flitterbite calmed down some.

He turned to the Jinn boy, "What's your name?"

The clover boy stood at attention, but kept his eyes to the ground, "Finch, sir."

The Leafman tried not to chuckle at the irony of it, "My name's Nod, and you don't have to call me sir." He held out a hand.

Finch took it, surprised. Being a groom, he had to respect and defer to the jockeys, and they rarely showed him much kindness, being higher up the 'race food chain.' "I know, sir, I've heard a lot about you."

"Right, well I don't have a lot of time, and I need you to tell me everything about Flitterbite. Don't hold back any details, not even the bad ones," Nod said, trying to not sound like a certain commanding person in his life. "I also need you to stop feeling so nervous around me. It's bad for the bird."

Nod gave the groom an encouraging smile, to show he meant no harm or insult. The boy smiled back, and launched into the history and habits of Flitterbite.

"He's fully trained, raised in captivity since he was an egg. His breeders said he acted like a normal blue jay when he was with them, so this increased aggression only began when Bufo bought him."

While listening to Finch, Nod reviewed everything he knew about jays. They were higher up on the intelligence level when it came to birds. They were bold and naturally aggressive, but only when provoked, and they were known to chase hawks away from their nests. They tended to be bullies towards other birds, but only if there isn't enough space or food to share.

"When Bufo started training him, he...well..." Finch stopped, and glanced fearfully at the open doorway, afraid that someone would hear him slandering his boss. Nod quickly walked over and peered outside. There was no one, but he understood Finch's fear.

"It's alright," Nod said. "Nobody's listening, and I'm not going to tell anyone what you say. There's no love lost between me and Bufo, but you have to tell me everything. I promise no one will find out."

The flower boy swallowed nervously, but continued. "Bufo's trainer for Flit is a bully. Whenever the bird doesn't do something right, he punishes them. Most of the time, it just makes the birds scared of him, and they fly faster, but not Flit. Flit's not scared of anything. He protected himself, and that's what caused this biting problem. Now he thinks everybody's gonna hurt him, so he attacks anything that comes close. It took me forever to gain his trust, and I had to take a couple of trips to the infirmary."

Nod sighed sadly. Biting problems in birds were so easy to prevent, but so hard to break. There was no way he could train it out of the jay before the race.

"Okay, first thing we want to do, is get him to trust me," Nod said, sounding more positive than he felt. "Then we'll see about breaking his bad habit."

"How are you going to do that in less than an hour?"

"I won't, but it's all the time I have. I just need to be able to get on him without getting thrown off," Nod felt a little like a mentor, even though he just met this boy. "Stand to the side, and remember to remain calm, no matter what happens."

Finch nodded, his eyes big with curiosity, as he backed towards the wall. The jay shuffled his feet nervously, feeling vulnerable without his familiar companion beside him. Nod met the bird's eye, but he kept blinking and shifting his gaze. To a bird, a predator held a long, unblinking stare before it pounced. This seem to relax Flitterbite, but only for a few seconds; too many people had destroyed his trust in them, and the jay wasn't going to start now.

This kind of problem could take weeks to fix, but Nod had less than an hour, so he had to speed this up. Body relaxed, he approached the blue jay at a casual speed, not to fast for a charge, but not to slow for a sneak attack.

Nod whispered in a soft tone, "It's alright, Flit. Relax..." He chose to call him 'Flit' because it sounded like a name of endearment when Finch used it. _I'm a friend, _Nod kept thinking, even though the bird couldn't read his mind, just his emotions.

Flitterbite had never been approached in such a calm way. Even his regular groom, though accepted, still tip-toed around him. The jay didn't know how to react, so he did the same thing he had been doing for years. He reared his head back to strike, the blue crest raised to intimidate the threat.

Nod dodged the bird's beak aimed for his shoulder, but he did it at a casual speed, all the while keeping calm. He did it in a way that made the jay think he moved like he was planning on it, instead of just avoiding his weapon. Nod took another step, hushing the jay in soft whispers. Flit thrusted for his abdomen, again Nod swerved calmly, continuing to say soft words, and blinking his eyes at Flit's.

Finch was fascinated and amazed by the method Nod was using. He spoke up in a whisper, so as not to break the semi-relaxed atmosphere, "I thought you had to let the bird bite you but not back away, so as to not give it the power."

Without skipping a beat or breaking eye activity, Nod responded, "Sometimes that does work, but you run the risk of teaching the bird that it's helpless. The beak is its greatest defense, and showing them that it doesn't work is not healthy for their minds."

Flit struck, Nod dodged, and the blue jay was beginning to get the message, picking up on the peaceful emotions from the Jinn and the Leafman. He didn't know what to do though, so he kept trying to ward off the stranger. Nod kept coming, until in just a few minutes, the teen stood in front of the bird and the distressed creature just stared at him. Still blinking his eyes and whispering soothing words, Nod tentatively raised his left hand, palm up.

Something unheard of happened next. Instead of backing away or trying to bite him, Flitterbite's crest rose and he cocked his head to the side. He stared curiously at Nod's bandaged arm, like he was listening to something. Then, the bird lowered his broad head until it rested in Nod's palm, chirping affectionately, his eyes half-closed. Nod's heart sped up in his chest with shock, but the jay didn't notice the change.

Nor did he pick up Finch's exciting, "That was amazing! How did you do that?" The boy jumped up and down, his calmness thrown out the window.

"Uh well...it's all about the energy really," Nod stuttered, still stunned. What just happened, _never_ happens! Nod knew he was good with birds, but he wasn't the bird whisperer. It had to be the rose, he knew it was the rose, but how could a plant talk to an animal? Especially an animal like Flit.

A horn sounded from higher up the tree, proclaiming that the race would begin soon, and jockeys should prepare their mounts. "Just in time!" Finch said and skipped over to the jay's perch. Hanging on it, was a big bridle and saddle, and the groom picked it up with ease, despite it's size.

"This is his tack," Finch said. "We better get it on."

Together, the two fastened on the saddle, the straps five times the length of a hummingbird's to reach over and under the bird's large body. The actual saddle was small, light, and had no pommel, so as not to jab the jockey in the stomach when he bent over. It was meant for speed, not comfort. Flit shuffled his feet in anticipation of a race.

Finch got the blue jay to lower his head, enough for Nod to slip the bridle bit through his beak, and the reins over his head. When they finished, they stepped back to admire the handiwork. The leather was black, and looked good against the blue and white feathers. Flit's crest rose, completing the image of a handsome and mighty steed.

"Does he have any habits in a race?" Nod asked Finch. "Besides biting?"

"He likes to fly high above the other birds," Finch scrunched up his face in thought. "And he sometimes throws his head and jerks the reins out of your hands. Other than that, he's fine."

"Great," more things for Nod to worry about. The horn sounded a second time, meaning that the jockeys should head down to the starting line now, if they hadn't already. Flitterbite lowered his body, inviting Nod to get on. The teen swung a leg over, fitting his feet into the stirrups. He remembered riding that screeching bat when they battled the Boggans, and hoped Flit wasn't as wild as that creature had been.

Flit walked towards the open side, and being up high, Nod saw the grandstands and branches packed with Jinn. Nine birds were lined up on a log on the ground. It was just him they were waiting for. He wondered where Thryn was in the crowd.

"Sir...I mean, Nod?" Finch looked up to him.

"Yeah?"

"No pressure, but...could you win? For Flitterbite?" the clover flower asked. "Everybody thinks he'll never win a race, but then you came, and stood up to Bufo and...please win."

Inside, Nod was screaming, 'no please don't make me promise that!' but on the outside, he gave the boy a confident, 'no problem' smile. "Say no more, kid!"

Before his inner despair could reach the surface of his face, Nod flicked the reins, and Flit took off. The volume of the spectators rose at his entrance, becoming one single roar of approval. By now, everybody would have heard of his bet with Bufo. The energy of the crowd was making Flitterbite excited, and Nod had to keep checking him with the reins.

The pair reached and landed on the starting log. The other jockeys snickered at the sight of the young boy on the huge, uncontrollable blue jay. Piece of cake, they were all thinking. Nod ignored them, focusing on the track before him.

It was that moment that every racer loved and hated. The crowd quieted down, the birds froze, and each racer could hear their heart beating and felt each droplet of sweat run down their backs. It gave a new meaning to anticipation. Ironically, the excitement didn't build in the clamor of the crowd, but instead in the silence, before the start.

The calm before the storm.

In that moment of reflection, Nod had a premonition; the peace in his life was about to be disrupted. The storm was about to be unleashed.

* * *

**arent I so evil for stopping right there? Mwwwaaahhhaaah!**

**Review, as always and dont worry...the next chapter is on its way :)**


	11. Race

**Thanks for the awesome reviews and now the excitement begins! :D**

* * *

The horn sounded, and the birds shot from the log in a blur of feathers. The crowd cheered as the racers whizzed past them, and Nod was almost immediately left behind. Flitterbite, instead of picking up speed, gained altitude, just like Finch said he would. To him, this was just another race that he wouldn't win, but Nod was riding him now, and losing was not on the agenda.

The Leafman squeezed his heels into the bird's side, and to his relief, Flit responded by picking up speed. They caught up and kept pace with the racers below, the meadow grass rushing as they passed. They were allowed to fly high, but too high, and they'd be out of the race. Nod leaned forward, and Flit dropped until his belly nearly skimmed the heads of the enemy racers.

_He's not so bad, _he thought. The blue jay was trusting and listening to him. He wondered if it was his skills or the rosebud. Probably both.

The first turn was coming up; a stunted gorse tree. Nod had made it to the middle of the group, and he knew that the turn would be the opportunity to pass more racers. He crouched in preparation, pulling slightly on the reins to slow down a little. As the tree came up, he pressed his left leg into Flit's side, and tugged the reins in the direction he wanted to go.

It could've been a perfect pass, but Flit's habits decided to kick in at that moment. The blue jay threw his head and the reins were jerked out of Nod's hands, almost taking his fingers with them.

"Whoa!" he yelped, and lost control. The blue jay skidded and nearly crashed into a branch. Nod scrambled for the reins and brought them about just in time. The laughter of the other jockeys reached his ears.

Flit, now back upright, sliced through the air, but they had fallen behind and were in the back again. They flew over the edge of the clearing and entered the forest, the jockeys way ahead of them. Nod kicked for more speed, but in rebellion, Flit threw his head again.

"Hey easy there!" Nod gripped the reins tighter, but that made the bird fight even harder for control. If they kept up this struggle, they'll never catch up in time.

He took a leap of faith, if you would call it that, and dropped the reins. He dug his fingers into the thick, blue plumage, grabbing onto the feather veins. Flitterbite felt this, and ceased jerking his head, seeming satisfied. Almost like he was saying, _Now why didn't you do that before?_

"Control issues much?" Nod grumbled. It didn't matter though, bird riding involved more legs signals than hands anyway.

A creek bubbled and splashed along the forest floor, and they followed it; it was part of the race track. They weaved through the low hanging leaves and vines, and passed two birds, much to their jockeys' astonishment. Flit was catching up to the third and fourth racers.

As they passed them, the jockeys reached into their saddlebags, pulling out acorns the size of Nod's head. He had forgotten that in Bufo's races, they were allowed to play dirty. The opponents hurled the acorns at him, trying to throw off his momentum. Nod easily knocked them aside, and they bounced off harmlessly.

Too late, he realized he made a mistake.

"I thought your arm was broken?" one jockey shouted at him.

Nod kicked, and feeling his urgency, Flitterbite sped away, leaving the confused riders behind. _The sooner I win this race, the better._

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Bufo demanded. His gypsy moth bodyguard blinked stupidly and cringed a little.

"I'm sorry boss, it had slipped my mind," the lackey said with a shaky voice. "It only came back to me when I saw his broken arm-"

"How can something that profitable slip your mind?!" the frog yelled. "You know what, never mind that! Just get a message sent. Now!"

The moth hurried away, while his partner smirked at his predicament.

"What are you smiling about?" Bufo rounded on him. "Get down to the finish line, and make sure he doesn't leave after the race!"

The scorpion fly buzzed off, silently grumbling to himself, and Bufo turned back to his view of the track. Even without his spy-glasses, it wasn't hard to spot the big blue-and-white bird rounding a bend in the creek, and overtaking the fifth and sixth racers.

Bufo rubbed his palms together, greed glinting in his eyes, "New deal, Nod."

* * *

The halfway point in the race was a moss-covered tree trunk that had fallen over the stream, forming a bridge. Some Jinn had taken to sitting there, and cheered with delight as the jockeys and birds swooped under or over them.

Nod and Flitterbite were coming up to the log fast. The jockey in front of them, a pinecone Jinn, flew under the bridge, and Flit followed his lead. Before they could pass under, however, a shadow fell on Nod. The pinecone rider had done a loop-de- loop, coming up over and above the pair. The enemy bird hurtled towards them, intent on slowing them down. There was no time to dodge; all Nod could do was raise his arms and brace for impact.

It never came. The opponent bird pulled itself out of the dive and veered off just in time, it's rider yelling in protest. The bird had acted on it's own accord. Flit left them behind in a whirl of wind and feathers.

Nod gazed at his left arm in bewilderment. The rose had acted up again, just like it did in Flit's roost. Both times it had communicated, telling Flitterbite to trust him and telling the other bird to back off.

The forest ended and they flew back over the meadow, almost finished completing a full circle. The end would be coming up soon. Nod spotted the three lead racers ahead; the only way to catch them now was pure speed.

He leaned down to his bird's ear, "Come on, Flit! You can do it, speed up!" The jay flapped his wings faster, but it made little difference. He was going to slow. In desperation, Nod touched the side of his mount's head with his left arm.

"A slow flier unless provoked," he muttered. "Well here's some motivation! Bufo and his cronies think your nothing but a nuisance, they believe you can never win. Forget about them! Today, you and I are going to prove them wrong!"

The blue jay's crest rose in defiance, and with a screech, he sped up tremendously, cutting through the sky like an arrow. The reluctant race bird was breaking a record. Nod had to keep blinking his eyes to keep them clear. The world around him blurred into one single color, and in no time, he was amongst the three lead racers. He kept his senses on high alert; he couldn't afford anymore delays, otherwise he'd lose the race. The finish line was in sight, but still a ways to go.

"Caught up, did ya?" a voice beside him said. It was the berry girl jockey from his last race, a year ago. She had grown a little taller, but she still had that snarky smile, the one that made Nod want to punch her.

"I'm winning this race," he shouted back with absolute certainty.

She sneered at him, "We've been through this before Nod! You think Flitterbite is any different?" At that, she held up a fat bug treat. "Enjoy the meal, loser!"

The berry girl tossed the bug down to Flit. Time seemed to slow. Nod could see the bird's eyes spot it and was about to follow it down, just like Cricket had done last year's race.

"No, don't!" Nod cried out desperately, reaching out with his cast arm. The bug fell...but Flit seem to change his mind, and didn't go for it. Instead, he lashed out with his beak at the girl's bird. It veered away, throwing it's rider off balance, and they crashed into the second racer, leaving them both out of the race.

"Nod, your so dead!" she screeched, her face redder than the berry on her head. _Funny, I wonder if she's related to Ross, _he thought, grinning. Flit trilled in amusement. Like the day couldn't get any weirder.

Pushing it aside, he focused on the last rider that stood between him and victory. He pulled up next to him, and saw it was the stickman from last year. He was seeing a lot of old faces.

"Not this time Nod!" the stickman shouted. He flicked his reins, his bird pulling ahead of them.

Nod squeezed his heels, and Flitterbite kept pace, the two birds neck and neck. In unison, the racers rounded a small pine tree; the final turning point. The finish line was dead ahead, and the roar of the crowd grew louder filling the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Nod saw the stickman lean, and his bird bumped into Flit. The jay stayed on course, but the jockey kept at it, hoping to slow him down. The finish line drew closer. The enemy bird bumped them again, and got Flitterbite to drop back a few centimeters. The stickman was winning by a beak.

"You might as well give up now!" the obnoxious rider jeered at them.

Nod had his bad habits, just like Flitterbite did. When someone tried to tell him what to do, he responded in the same way he had been doing for years: he didn't listen.

"Flit, it's time to do what you do best!" The stickman's bird lurched for them again, but this time, Flitterbite pulled up, throwing the other bird off balance. Faster than he ever flew, Nod led his jay into a rapid climb. When he deemed high enough, Nod threw his chest down, the force making Flitterbite curve into a steep, suicidal descent straight for the adversary. The stickman's eyes widened at see the oncoming missile and ducked, just as Flit pulled out of the dive, brushing over the other bird. The stickman's dodge had, inadvertently, led his mount to drop altitude, sending them both into the tangled grass of the meadow.

With no one to stop them, Nod and Flit shot over the line, bringing on a new wave of noise from the Jinn, their wind sending up dandelion seeds in the air. Just on cue for the celebration. Instead of going straight for the winner's branch, Flitterbite flew to the sky, singing in triumph. Nod raised his arms in victory, whooping with joy. He had won races before, but this was a first time for Flit, and he deserved to feel happy for him.

The pair flew higher towards the clouds, until Nod heeled Flit to hover, "Whoa boy, we'll go claim the sky later. First, we gotta go back to Earth." Flit trilled in what could have been disappointment, but complied, swooping back to the waiting fans.

They lighted onto the branch, which was draped in honeysuckle vines. Jinn cheered and threw them pieces of petals. Nod dismounted and saw Thryn leaping from the crowd, and landing on the branch. He was surprised to find tears streaming down her cheeks, and she pulled him into a suffocating hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much..."

He knew Thryn wasn't much of a hugger, so he should treat this like a rare moment. He hugged her back, "No problem," he said nonchalantly, but she could feel his heart beating against his chest.

She pulled away, wiping the tears, probably feeling embarrassed but she smiled nevertheless. He liked it better when she smiled. "How'd you do it?" she asked.

"Let's just say Flit and I can agree on one thing: Bufo can suck it," Flitterbite chirped to confirm this.

"Where is the old frog anyway?" Nod asked. "I'd love to see his face when he sees that-"

As if his name had summoned him, Bufo stepped onto the branch, coming from the other side of the tree. His expression wasn't anything Nod expected; he was smiling like he had won the lottery, but it was colder than a winter night. He clapped his froggy hands slowly and deliberately, and it reminded Nod of a execution drums.

"Well done, Nod! Now that is what I call entertainment," he exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear. Nod noted that his usual, shady bodyguards were nowhere to be seen. This made him uneasy, though he didn't know why.

"So the debt is off, and you won't harass Thryn and her father anymore," the teen stated.

"Yes, the debt is off and your girlfriend's daddy doesn't owe me a cent," the bookie said slowly, his words dripping poison. "But, while you were racing, I made a new deal with a more...profitable income. It only involves you."

Before he could react, Nod was grabbed from behind by meaty hands, his arms restrained before he could even struggle. The gypsy moth! Thryn had been seized as well by the scorpion fly. This explained where Bufo's goons had went, and the frog had just distracted them. Yelling and protests broke from the crowd, everybody demanding that Bufo let them go and abide by the agreement. But they were just empty words. No one was rushing to help them.

"You see even when you win," Bufo smiled as the boy furiously struggled to free himself. "You still lose, punk. The Boggans will pay a hefty price for you."

"Boggans?" Nod's throat closed up with fear. He tried to hide it with confusion, like he didn't know what Bufo was talking about, but it was futile. The bookie saw right through it.

"Show everybody what's really wrong with his arm," Bufo commanded to the moth holding him. Nod writhed and fought, but they were too strong for him. He wished more than anything, that Ronin and platoon of Leafmen would show up right now, in one of those just-in-time rescues.

Course, that didn't happen, and the gypsy moth seized his arm and ripped off the makeshift cast and bandages, the terrible sound the deed made silencing the crowd.

The rose twitched at the sudden sunlight, drawing all eyes to it, and sending a new wave of muttering and bewilderment, mixed with fear and wonder. The young Leafman had frozen with fear, afraid if he moved, somebody might attack. Thryn looked like she wished she were invisible. Bufo was smirking with greed and cruelty, probably delighted that his captives were overcome with dread.

"Throw them in a room somewhere, until the escort arrives," he ordered.

Nod couldn't go quietly. It wasn't meant to turn out this way, so he wouldn't let it get any worse. The Jinn were not going to help him. He broke out in a new struggle, the sudden jerk unexpected by his restrainer, and managed to free his right arm. Twisting, he gave the moth a crunching punch to his jaw, but just as quickly, the moth retaliated with a fist to Nod's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Seeing his new friend attacked, Flitterbite bit the moth in the shoulder. The goon yelped with pain, throwing his arms to fend off the bird, and freeing Nod. Thryn took this as her cue, and stomped her heel hard on her captor's foot. She sent an elbow into his nose for good measures. Grabbing Nod's hand, they ran for the exit.

"Get them!" Bufo croaked, but Flit occupied them, biting and clawing at any who tried to get off the branch.

Nod and Thryn leaped into the crowds of the grandstands below. He hated to leave Flit behind, but he knew the blue jay could take care of himself. With Finch to help him, he'll be fine. The Jinn parted like water out of their way, nobody trying to stop them.

All exits to the forest floor were blocked by hulking figures that could rival Trippy, but Nod wasn't planning to go out that way in the first place. He whistled, and his loyal sparrow flew out of the green, landing beside them. Bufo and his goons were after them; they had managed to escape Flitterbite's beak.

In a flash, the two runaways mounted and took off, flying for freedom. Bufo shouted and cursed below them, but it was useless. Sterling buzzed out of his hiding place in the leaves, joining in them in their escape.

"We're home free!" Nod shouted, as Cricket sped through the forest, leaving the hostile place behind.

He felt Thryn stiffen behind him, "Not yet. Look!"

Nod followed her pointing finger and saw black blurs flying through the trees, after them. The blurs caught up and kept pace, giving Nod the chance to make them out, and hear the high-pitched cackles coming from the backs of the black birds.

Boggans.

And they could see the rose.

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**Review! :)**


	12. Ambush

**If you guys are having trouble getting to see the fanart, then go to my profile and you'll find my deviantArt link so you can go see the work. updates arent going to be as frequent as they used to be, because school is starting up. i got AP classes, journalism, and xc training after school...so yeah im not going to have a life, but i intend to finish this fic and ill try my best, i promise**

**as always, read and review!**

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"Watch out!" Thryn warned, and they ducked as arrows whizzed over their heads. Nod urged Cricket to go faster. The Boggans were screeching in fury at missing their targets, but they were already reloading their bows. The next wave of arrows would have hit them, if not for the branches that criss-crossed in their path.

Cricket flew through the dense foliage with ease, dodging and weaving around obstacles at top speed. The grackles, too big for that kind of travel, flew just above the canopy, their riders sending arrow after arrow down whenever there was an opening. There were at least a dozen of them, and Nod wondered how such a big group had managed to get so far into Leafmen borders.

Three more arrows were sent their way, one of them managing to nick one of Cricket's primary feathers. They were getting to close. All it took was one arrow, and Cricket would be out of commission, and they would be captured. Or worse.

"How good are you at deflecting arrows?" he asked Thryn above the wind.

"I'd do better with a sword."

"Take mine," he offered. "Then maybe we can get out of this alive!"

Thryn raised her quarter staff and unsheathed the sword strapped to Nod's back. It wasn't nearly long enough, but it was all they had.

"You fly, and let me worry about the living and dying," she twisted so they were back to back, and stood in the saddle, planting her feet apart for balance. By standing, Thryn made herself a bigger, more obvious target for the Boggans. Nod could hear the whistling air of the deadly shafts, and had to force himself to face forward. His ears told the story of what went on behind him, for every hissing arrow that came their way, the screech of metal or the thunk of wood would end it's journey. Thryn was blocking every arrow.

Cricket zig-zagged through the branches, trying to shake off their pursuers. Thryn amazingly kept her balance, her concentration unwavered by the hair-pin twists and turns Nod was taking. With all that, she still deflected the arrows that came near them. Yet the Boggans were known to not give up easily, and they seem to have an endless arsenal of missiles.

"I can't keep this up," the girl shouted back to him. "They're gonna hit us eventually!"

"What about close quarters?"

"Too risky, there's more of them than us!"

"Can you catch an arrow, then send it back?"

She would've face palmed if she could, "Show me the invisible bow, genius!"

Wow, he felt like an idiot. An arrow was useless without a bow to fire it. The fear was getting to him, clouding his common sense. Pushing past it, he risked a glance back, just in time to see a Boggan drawing back his arm, aimed directly at Thryn.

"Look out!" he cried, but it was too late. The arrow smacked into his friend's thigh, her face going white with pain, and she let loose a blood-chilling scream. Her legs crumpled and she went tumbling into the forest below.

"Thryn!" Nod reined Cricket to dive, plummeting after her. She didn't have far to fall, and crashed onto a bed of leaves and branches. It held her, but she was already rolling off, too dazed with pain to stop herself or grab on to anything. Nod wrapped his good arm around her waist before she could fall again, and shot away. Boggan arrows tore through the leaves turning them gray, right where they were seconds before.

Thryn slumped into him, moaning with pain, her blood wetting his pant leg. The Boggans were shrieking to each other, and the torrent of arrows intensified. Cricket pumped his wings, but Nod felt his lungs huffing with exertion. The poor bird, who put so much effort into dodging the shafts, was tiring. It wouldn't be long before he began to slow down. Their situation was getting more and more dire.

A buzz by his ear made him turn his head, to meet with the blue-green lenses of Sterling. He had completely forgotten about him. "Thryn!" he shouted into the semi-conscious girl's ear. "You have to send Sterling for help!"

"That won't be necessary, Nod," a deep, familiar voice said beside him. Out of the green, flew a ruby-throated hummingbird, ridden by the Leafmen general himself. Ronin could hide his emotions well, but Nod hazarded a guess: he was relieved to have found them alive, but furious that he found them out here at all.

Normally he wouldn't be so physched to see him, but right now, he looked at Ronin like a guardian angel. That's when he noticed that his second father had come alone, and hopes plummeted as quickly as they had rose.

"Do you know how much I want to kill you right now?!" Ronin snarled.

Nod ducked his head as an arrow whistled past his ear, "You'll have to wait in line! Where's the rescue party?"

"Coming up behind the Boggans," Ronin said, his eyes scanning Thryn's leg, turning angry to concerned. Before he could ask, a shout from behind announced the arrival of the Leafmen platoon, their green arrows cutting the air and dispatching their targets. Nod couldn't help but smile at the reinforcements, yet Ronin only looked apprehensive. He seem to finally take notice of the size on the Boggan group, and Nod realized that when compared, the Leafmen soldiers were outnumbered.

"Keep going, we'll hold them off!" Ronin ordered him, then steered his hummingbird higher, nocking his bowstring, and letting an arrow off with precise aim.

Nod reined Cricket to go faster, but the tired, old bird couldn't speed up much, only get slower. No matter which way he swerved in the forest, the Boggans followed him, despite the Leafmens' best efforts to deter them. Thryn was losing blood, and the Boggans were driving them further and further away from Moonhaven.

All of the sudden, the forest ended and the form of M.K.'s house appeared. Nod didn't realized just how far or long the Boggans had been chasing them. He leaned and Cricket circled the abode, the Boggans and the Leafmen following him like fighter jets. Nod scanned the house and spotted an opening.

"Ronin, the house!" he shouted, hoping the man understood his intention.

"This is no time to visit your girlfriend!" Ronin retorted while catching a shaft, and sending it back to it's owner.

Nod rolled his eyes, "Not that, I mean for shelter!"

"It would be locked," the general replied, his eyes never leaving the battle. "There's no way in!"

"There's a way _under!_"

Finally, the Leafman leader took him seriously, and Nod pointed to the house. There was an opening to underneath the house, the entrance covered by a lattice panel. The holes would be big enough for the hummingbirds and the sparrow to pass through, but too big for the grackles. Ronin waved a hand, gaining the group's attention and pointed to the lattice panel. The Leafmen and women broke off from their battles, and shot for the opening. Their birds' sleek bodies slipped through the holes and disappeared into darkness.

Ronin and Nod followed, the black birds right on their tail. Sensing safety, Cricket picked up speed, but before he could reach the goal, something heavy landed behind Nod and Thryn, causing the bird to falter. Nod turned in time to see a Boggan, his weapon raised and baring his teeth savagely.

Like a cat who's tail was stepped on, the rose uncoiled from his arm and hissed, it's two, puny leaves splayed out in an attempt to look bigger. Dozens of wicked sharp thorns sprouted from it's stem, and the feral flower struck the Boggan's face, raking them like knives. The monster screamed, blinded by it's blood, and Nod kicked him off his ride.

Relieved of the weight, Cricket made a beeline for safety. He and Sterling slipped through the hole, Nod and Thryn barely making the fit. Darkness swallowed them up, and Cricket crash landed into the damp soil, huffing with exhaustion. Ronin's mount did a more dignified landing.

It was pitch black, despite the light leaking through the lattice and other cracks. Frustrated cawing outside told him that the grackles were unsuccessful at getting in. Nod felt the rose return to it's normal position on his arm, thankfully lacking the thorns that it had moments ago.

It was cold, dark, and damp, but safe, although Nod knew that nothing would stop the Boggans from dismounting and coming in themselves. The other Leafmen had moved further in, and Ronin made the way toward them, slicing through cobwebs with his sword. Nod pulled the birds along with them. Sterling buzzed by his head, and he wondered if dragonflies could see in the dark. Thryn would know.

"Get ready," Ronin ordered when they reached the soldiers. "They'll come after us, and have an advantage with this darkness. Someone light a fire, we can use that against them."

The hissing sound of swords emerging out of their sheaths echoed in the black, as did the scrape of rock against metal, someone trying to light a fire. Just then, a low barking and stomping came from outside. Through the cracks, Nod made out the gray and black fur of Ozzie. He had somehow gotten out, and was leaping at at the birds, scattering them.

Nod smiled. M.K. had inadvertently trained him as an attack dog when she gave him that Boggan chew toy. Now the pug was protecting them. The cawing of grackles retreated, and the happy dog plopped down in front of the lattice panel. Not only had he chased the Boggans off, but now he was _guarding _them from further attacks.

"Guess we don't have to worry about that anymore," a Leafman muttered.

An agonized groan from Thryn made them turn. She was shifting herself out of Cricket's saddle, putting the weight on her good leg. Her face was tight with pain, and she slid unceremoniously to the floor, biting her lip to hold back a whimper.

Ronin and Nod hurried to her, the general kneeling by the leg. He gently brushed her leg to find the wound, and she hissed at his touch.

"You okay?" Nod asked. He wasn't the best when it came to injuries.

She scowled and managed an almost complete sentence, "Stupid...question."

"I can't see anything," Ronin said. "Keep trying with that fire." he ordered to the men and women behind him, then turned to Thryn. "Where's the arrow?"

"Went right through...didn't lodge."

"Your lucky then. I'm sure you know how painful extracting an arrow can be...but still..."

"Still what?" Nod asked, cursing himself for the tremor in his voice.

"Even if it went right through, there could still be small traces of Rot. If let unattended, it could grow and spread..."

"Then we have to get her to the Queen," Nod finished for him.

"That won't be easy," a Leafwoman spoke up. "Those Boggans will be waiting for us in the trees. Chances of getting through are slim." A spark flew up, and a fire sprang to life, illuminating all the faces, and casting long shadows.

"We have to do something!" the teen cried in frustration. The fear wouldn't die down, even if they were safe from the monsters for now. He was scared for Thryn's life, and struggled to cover it from the adults around him. Thanks to the fire, he couldn't hide his terrified expression in the dark.

"Nod," Thryn whispered, her voice hoarse from the pain. "Your rose is nudging me."

"It's not my-" he began automatically, but stopped when he glanced down. The rose was in fact, nudging Thryn's leg like a worried dog.

* * *

_The rose felt Silent One's pain, the heat given off by her body reaching the tips of it's roots, and it heard her shallow breaths. It prodded gently, feeling the hot, crimson blood. With a wound, there was way of healing it. All the rose needed was an energy source._

_ Use Free Spirit's energy? No, that would likely kill him. His bearer still had much to accomplish. Free Spirit was confused, but the rose was urgent, for it felt the Rot brooding inside Silent One's wound. They needed a source!_

_ The plant cast it's senses out, searching for a suitable candidate. There were many Green Ones around them, including Fighting Spirit, but the rose couldn't take their energy unless it was attached to them. Other beings like the Feathered were there, but the rose sensed that the Green Ones would need them later._

_ Nearby, the rose felt fungi growing in this damp, dark place, with no Sun. It would have to do...though the rose couldn't help but feel like it's pride was taking a blow, if it had to ask fungi for help._

_ The rose instructed Free Spirit to make physical contact with the fungi. When this was done, the rose began the transfer of energy, pouring it into Silent One's wound. While this was happening, the fungi sneered at the flower._

_ 'You may take our energy now, but you just wait! In the end, you'll be on our side, and the darkness will be your core!'_

_ 'No,' the rose said. 'My bearer won't let that happen. He'll seal my fate to save the Queen, rather than destroy her.'_

_ 'You can't escape your destiny,' the fungi chided. The fungi was fading fast, but it got the last word before it died. 'History repeats itself.' With that, the fungi faded, it's energy diminished. Silent One's injury was completely healed._

_The rose ended the transfer and took it's usual place on Free Spirit's arm. What the fungi had said wouldn't happen. If there was anything good in this world, then it will not happen._

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Nod came back to his senses, like he was exiting a dream. Everything felt numb, but he could make out two things.

One: He was clutching a dead, empty husk of some fungus thing, the remains crumbling between his fingers.

And two: Thryn's wound was completely healed. The hole closed up, the blood washed away, and the skin left undisturbed. Not even a scar remained.

He looked to see everybody staring at him with huge, freaked-out expressions, and even the birds had froze in place. Only Sterling acted like nothing had happened, but he did buzz by everybody's head, as if trying to break their trance.

All Nod could say was, "You think that's bad? You shouldv'e seen what it did to the Boggan outside."

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**this is what authors do best...they give you some answers, but leave you with more questions ;) for all the MK fans, im sorry your not seeing more of her, but she will be a main character in this, its just the plot i have in mind thats the problem...**

**Review!**


	13. Face-Off

**An update at last! My only free time now is on the weekends and even that is minimal...either way, I promise to continue this story! So enjoy this update :)**

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The Leafmen had set up a perimeter around their small campfire, for Ronin was not entirely relaxed, thinking the Boggans would spring some surprise attack on them. Even if they didn't, there could be other hostile creatures residing under the house. Due to the lack of stomping, they concluded that M.K. and her father were not home, but Ronin didn't want to risk finding another way into the house.

The platoon gave Thryn and Nod some of their rations, which the teens inhaled, not knowing how hungry they were until they saw the food. Nod guzzled every canteen that was handed to him. The race, combined with the chase through the forest had sapped his strength, and it was only the adrenaline that had kept him going. Thryn had tested her leg, happy to find that she could walk normally, as if she was never hit by an arrow.

She was coping pretty well, but Nod noticed how she kept rubbing her thigh and checking it every few minutes, like she expected the wound to reappear. She kept throwing Nod questioning glances, silently asking how he performed his healing powers, but he would just return it with a shrug, clueless as his friend.

When he asked her to describe the feat, she said it was nothing like the Queen's bright, golden light. The only way to tell if there was magic at work, was the shriveling mushroom and the rapidly-healing flesh wound on her leg.

Ronin had taken to pacing around their camp. He did this when he was anxious, probably trying to figure out how to get back to Moonhaven without getting killed by the Boggans. It probably made him more agitated that he would have to sneak through his own territory, like he was the interloper. Finally, the general sat across the fire from them, the anger evident on his face. This is what Nod and Thryn had been waiting for.

"I'm glad you two are okay," he began. "But what were you thinking? Sneaking out, against your orders, and racing at Bufo's? I want an explanation!"

Nod didn't ask how Ronin knew they were at Bufo's tree; he could have interrogated the frog for that info. He gave Thryn a side-long glance, noting her slight tension. She was scared that he'd would tell Ronin her former dilemma; that she had been prepared to steal from the Queen to cover her father's debt. Nod had already decided that he wouldn't rat her out. It was Thryn's secret to share, if she wanted to.

"I had gotten stir-crazy in Moonhaven," he said, not meeting Ronin's eye. "If I had to spend one more day in that place, with Mub and Grub...well, you've seen me when I'm cranky."

Nod said that last part light-heartedly, trying to ease the tension, but Ronin wasn't amused. In fact, he looked like a volcano about to erupt.

"Is that your excuse?" the general raged. "Is that all you have to say for yourselves?! You endangered lives, cost us time and resources, disobeyed direct orders, and alerted the Boggans to the rose's location! If you had stayed in Moonhaven, then my patrols would have been able to prevent those Boggans from invading our borders, instead of looking for you two!"

Correction. _Erupting. _

The teenagers took a sudden interest in the dirt, staring at it hard. They both knew that they had to ride this out in silence, let the man expend his anger.

"And you!" Ronin rounded on Thryn. "I expected this much from him, but I was counting on you, Thryn, that you would prevent something like this from happening. It's why I posted _you _as his guard."

The girl couldn't hide her shame, for once, couldn't bring her stormy gray eyes to meet her superior's ice blue ones.

"It wasn't her fault," Nod defended. "It was entirely my idea, I just talked her into it. Blame me."

Ronin turned his furious gaze back at him, "I _am _blaming you, Nod, but that doesn't mean she's in any less trouble!"

In the silence that followed, what Ronin said sank into Nod, and he contemplated them in a way that he hadn't before. His words, 'I expected this much from him,' and 'I am blaming you," stuck out like a sore thumb. The longer he thought about, the more uncharacteristic fury he felt.

"That's all you expect from me, isn't it? Disappointment and trouble." The words were quietly spoken, but they were colder than anyone present had ever heard Nod say before.

Ronin's fiery mood flared even more, oblivious to the youth's barely held-in fury, "That's all you ever give me, Nod. Trouble!"

"So I was 'troubling' you when I saved your life from Mandrake?" he retorted, eyes narrowed. "In that case, I'll get the memo next time and just let you die!"

The Leafmen and women froze, waiting for the ax to fall, waiting for Ronin to go all-out raging, but the general just sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers, "Nod, this isn't about you. The future of the forest is at stake, now that the Boggans know who has the rose-"

"How is this not about me?!" Nod exploded, all the pent-up frustration he had been keeping in for the past five days spilling out like a flood. "I'm the one who has the stupid thing attached to my arm! I'm the one who gets thirsty every ten minutes, and has to eat flower gunk with my breakfast!"

"Your being a selfish brat!" Ronin snapped back, all patience lost in his rage. "The forest is depending on this rose, and you put it in danger when you entered that race. All to fulfill your own desires!"

"You know if the Boggans want this rose so badly, there going to have to kill me. But I guess you don't care enough about me to be worried about that! Just so long as the stupid forest is saved!"

"That stupid forest is your home! It's all our home!"

"Yeah well, with the way things are now, this home sucks!" he yelled, and stormed off. The boy just wanted to be away from their stares, away from Ronin, Thryn, and everything. To be completely alone with his thoughts. He walked into the blinding darkness, not caring if he ran into a spider, a snake, or a rodent. Nod was too angry to give a damn.

At the campfire, everybody backed away from Ronin, giving him space and not daring to confront him. The leader of the Leafmen glared into the flames and flickering coals, his mind like an agitated wasp's nest.

Thryn watched the two impassively, her misty eyes regarding them, as she contemplated the words that they had shouted at each other. Ronin and Nod's relationship was common knowledge among the Leafmen ranks. From the oldest veteran to the newest recruit, they all knew that the teen and the man butted heads from time to time. Yet this one argument seemed particularly bad.

She noted to herself that throughout the whole exchange, Nod didn't bring her secret to light. The chief reason she and Nod sneaked out was because he wanted to help her, and he even burdened himself the blame. No one had ever done something like that for her. She had doubted anyone would ever do that for her sake.

Until now, that is.

Ronin was still staring moodily at the fire. Thryn knew that both of them were too prideful to apologize first, or admit they were wrong. So she would have to help them do it, and the first step, was for her to come clean.

Thryn stood up and walked over to the brooding general. She crouched beside him, and whispered, "Sir?"

He didn't turn his head or indicate in any way that he had heard her, but she continued anyway, "There's something you should know."

* * *

Angela was ranting on and on about how much she hated her Algebra teacher, Ms. Donovon, but M.K. had zoned out a while ago. Her friend was a bit scatter-brained, so she hadn't noticed that M.K. wasn't listening. It didn't really matter anyway; she had heard this rant plenty of times before.

She, Angela, and Reece were sitting in the stands of the soccer field, watching their school's soccer team battle for the ball against their rivals, the Whittney Bulls. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, but M.K. couldn't muster up the effort to enjoy it. She was too preoccupied with her gloomy problems.

First, ever since her house had been ransacked, she had been in an anxious state of mind, and had fallen behind in class. Anxious, because she was afraid the police would ask her awkward questions about her father's free time. Oak Valley PD had bagged and boxed a huge mound of evidence from her house, everything from torn up papers to the broken computer screen.

How any of these items were supposed to help find the criminals was beyond her, but the way Detective Sullivan had looked at the things, M.K. feared an investigation. She had too keep reassuring herself that everything would be returned, and the detective and cops would just write them off as weirdos.

As for what was stolen(if anything was), Professor Bomba was still trying to figure that out. After living alone for ten years, he hadn't made an inventory of all the things he owned, and was sorting through the items by hand. Without an inventory list, getting everything covered with the insurance company was going to be tedious.

The only thing more unsettling than that was the discover of Rot on her door. That meant _Boggans _had gotten in her _house, _yet it was impossible for tiny monsters to do such damage. This only led to one conclusion: both humans and Boggans had broken in, working together. It made her legs turn to jelly at the thought of it. How could humans become allies with Boggans? Up to this point, she was convinced that she and Dad were the only ones who knew the existence of the tiny world.

She really hoped she was wrong.

M.K. fingered the seam of her shorts. So deep in her musing and worry, she nearly jumped out of her seat when the crowd went in a uproar around her. Their team, the Oak Valley Stags, had just scored a goal. Boys in dark blue and white uniforms were swarming a teammate, giving him high fives and half tackling him to the ground. It was Jason who scored.

The teen mentally scolded herself, _your only here to support Jason, not wallow in self-pity. _Some friend she was being, how many more had he scored and she hadn't even noticed?

Jason was smiling and laughing with glee, and he turned his eyes to the crowd, no doubt searching her out. She wanted to hide behind her friends, but that would just make her feel worse, so she waved when his eyes found her. He waved back, before jogging back to center field for the kick-off.

M.K. hadn't talk to Jason after she had turned down his offer of a date, nor had he approached her. The way he had waved at her should have told her that everything was cool between them, but she had a feeling that it wasn't. He was probably still a little embarrassed about asking out a girl with a BF, but he'd get over it. However, Jason would most likely tell a close friend, like Corey, about the whole thing, and with Corey's addiction to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media crap, the whole student body would know about her having a no-name boyfriend.

She could care less about the student body knowing. What worried her was her friends. She counted her lucky stars that Jason hadn't pried further into the matter last night, but Angela wouldn't be so tactful. The blonde would pester her with questions until she caved, and Reece and Lisa, though not as obvious, would be just as curious. M.K. would just have to make up another lie. She didn't like doing it, but if it was the only way to keep her human friends separated from her Jinn friends, then so be it.

All these thoughts leading up to one person. Nod. Had she been lying, not just to Jason, but to herself? Or was Nod really her boyfriend? Before this rose, they had talked to each other everyday, and had gotten closer over the year. It got to the point where he would scratch the back of his neck, and she would tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, and they both knew what the other was thinking.

That spontaneous moment when they kissed in front of the entire kingdom. M.K. _still _blushed every time she thought of it.

She hadn't seen him since last Sunday, the day before Lex reported his incident with the rose sprout. Saying M.K. was worried about him was an understatement. She was _frantic. _The only reason he hadn't contacted her was because he was confined to Moonhaven, she knew that, but it didn't stop her from wondering if something was going wrong. Maybe it was her imagination, but she could swear that she was sensing he was in trouble.

_Nod is always in trouble, _a little voice in her head chided. _He's Nod after all. _But that did nothing to quell her fears.

Disgusted shouts from the spectators brought her back to reality. The referee had blown his whistle, calling a penalty on the Stags, and the crowd was letting him know how they felt about that. M.K. didn't know what happened, and all she saw was the ref giving Jason a serious talk. Though she couldn't hear his words, she read the blonde boy's lips, "_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it won't happen again."_

M.K. sighed sadly. She couldn't sit here any longer and pretend she was alright. The red head just wanted to go home, get her helmet, and go find Nod. She wanted to talk to him so badly, pour out her fears to him, and have the young Leafman tell her that everything will be okay, and that she worries too much.

She was about to turn to her friends and make up an excuse, so that she could go, but something caught her eye. A flash from a tree. It was so small that she almost missed it, but ever since her first adventure, her green eyes were practiced in spotting small things.

The flash had come from a tall pine tree, on the other side of the field, beyond the stands occupied by the Bulls' supporters. The tree was bare of pine needles, and some branches were totally stripped of bark, but that wasn't what made her mouth gape open. Perching on the branches were dozens of black birds.

With a unexpected whoosh_, _the birds took off in an unorganized fashion, cawing haughtily. The crowds attention was momentarily distracted by the flock, but they turned back at the blow of another whistle, and more cries of protest were made. M.K. couldn't look away from the flock to see what had happened.

She hadn't seen that many birds since the last Boggan attack.

The teen could've reasoned with herself that it could just be a normal, unridden flock of crows, but that would just waste time to find out. Abruptly, she shot from her seat, startling her friends.

"M.K. where are you going?" Reece asked, sounding concerned.

"I'll be right back, I need to check something!" she replied, not giving them a chance to say anything else. She was rushing down the steps, as fast as she could without tripping. At the bottom, she turned for the forest, hugging the side of the stands, so as not to get kicked by the cheerleaders in their sequences. Behind the stands was the parking lot, and leading off into the trees, was a trail.

The half time whistle blew, but M.K. didn't look back.

* * *

**Im getting really good at ending chapters with cliff hangers. looking back, I see that ive been doing that the whole time but im not going to stop now...hehe I know it drives you guys crazy ;)**

**im so evil...**

**reviews make me smile like a day off from school, and if I cant have the latter then at least give me the former. Your input matters!**

**SHOUT-OUTS: mecaka, DragonsOfAtlantis, Katherine(btw I love that name), wolf girl811, Amethyst, and Guest reviewers! You guys are awesome and thank you so much for your reviews, follows, and favorites! :D**


	14. Distractions

**Hey guys, im just as glad as you people, that I updated. man im so sorry for the long wait, but its to blame on school and cross-country! if there were more hours in the daytime, this would have been up sooner.**

_**"But FishInAFadora, what about that labor day weekend, you could have worked on it then?"**_

**Shut up voice in my head, i was camping and how do you get wi-fi in the woods?**

**Anyway, enough with the excuses, heres chapter 14 (wow, already at 14?) this is a M.K. and Jason only chapter. sorry Nod and Ronin fans...**

* * *

His gut feelings told him that it would be a great day. He decided his gut was deceitful and unreliable.

Sure, it had started off okay. His alarm buzzed off at six, proclaiming to get up and get dressed. Jason then proceeded to pull on his sweats, and went outside for his usual morning run. The air was clear and cool, with a pink sky and gold clouds, and he relished the burning of his muscles. When he returned, his mom had the Sunday breakfast prepared-toast, eggs, and sliced melon. She had put on her blue church dress, and his father wore his white buttoned shirt and slacks. Jason's little brothers, Matt and Daniel, were bickering about who took the rest of their favorite cereal.

Just your average morning in the Hale house. After breakfast, Jason would usually change into his best clothes for church, but this Sunday had a soccer match, and he had to be there early for warm-ups. His family promised that they'd be there after the service, and wished him good luck. Jason changed into his uniform, pulled his truck out of the driveway, and headed for school.

The blonde didn't let on to his family the conflicted feelings he held inside. Last night's events were still fresh in his mind. He tried to distract himself by turning on the radio, only to get Justin Bieber's "Baby," as the first thing he hears. They still play that song? Jason flicked the radio off, feeling even more irritated than before.

The soccer field was wet with dew, and some of the other players had already arrived. Jason joined them, and goofed around for a bit, before Coach Logan barked at them to start their warm-ups. By the time they were done with three laps around the field, the rest of their team arrived, and coach ordered them to do five laps for being late.

While they stretched and practiced shooting, the crowd began to filter into the stands, slowly filling its empty seats. This was the game of the year, being that it was against their biggest rival, and played on their home turf. The Whittney Bulls had occupied the opposite half of the field, wearing their black and red jerseys.

Every now and then, Jason would catch the determined glares and mocking smirks cast their way. Insults and jibes reached his ears, albeit faintly, but still audible. This would tick off some of the more hot-headed, impulsive members of his team, but Jason didn't react. Being the team captain, he had to set an example. The teenager made it clear to his mates that they were to ignore them.

Finally, the real mass of supporters arrived, waving blue and white flags, and proclaiming team spirit. The Hale family made themselves conspicuous as ever, holding up a giant sign that said, _Jason Hale is #1! _with the Stag's emblem in gold. The blonde didn't have any trouble spotting them in the crowd, and neither did his teammates. Before the game started, Coach Logan stressed the importance of winning this game, (like he did every year) then assigned positions, warning Jason to watch out for #32.

The referee had Jason shake hands with the Bull's captain, Rico Carrera. Despite being in different schools, Jason was friends with Rico. The boy was a good, kind person, and didn't hold any malicious feelings to the Stags, unlike Nick Turner, the #32 player coach had warned him about. That dude needed arrogance counseling in Jason's opinion.

The whistle blew, and the game began, with the Stags starting the kickoff. Jason passed the ball and was off running towards the Bull's goal box. His teammate, Carter, (they only used last names when on the field) passed it to Adams, who had a brief battle of possession with the Bull's forward, before Adams nailed it back to Jason.

With excellent footwork, Jason parried the ball towards him, and dribbled it expertly down the outside. Two defenders were on him in an instant, but they were too eager. They stabbed at him with their cleats, trying to get the ball in one go. This rarely worked and Jason evaded them easily, but one quickly recovered, and started pushing him out and away from the goal. He didn't have a clear shot.

The blonde, almost trapped in the corner, passed it down field to Brooks, then immediately went for the goal box, shouting that he was open. Brooks power kicked it to him, and Jason head balling it in. He smiled when he heard the sweet sound of the ball colliding with the net. The Stag supporters roared their approval of an awesome play. Jason's buddies swarmed him, clapping his back and half tackling to him to the ground, laughing with happiness. Many believed that the first goal gave good luck to the team that had made it.

The Hale family waved their sign and jumped up and down. Jason grinned and waved to them, his eyes reflexively sweeping the crowd for other familiar faces. That's when he saw M.K.

She was sitting with Angela and Reece, both girls clapping at his goal. M.K. however, was staring blankly, as if she just came out of a trance. He managed a smile and waved at her, catching her slightly confused look at the gesture. The girl was wearing an orange tank top with an unbuttoned denim blouse over it, along with jean shorts, and orange sneakers. Her red hair was down, framing her doe-like face, and making her green eyes stand out even more. He loved looking into those eyes, as if it held the whole forest.

However, now he couldn't look into her eyes without having the memory of last night pop up, and that made it sour. He quickly turned away, before M.K. could see the scowl forming on his face.

While he jogged back to center field, his thoughts were on the red-head girl. She had seem startled when he asked her out, and it made him suspicious. Wouldn't a girl with a boyfriend be used to being asked out? Maybe she just didn't expect it from him, someone she considered a friend. Either way, he had a feeling that there was something else going on.

The Bulls started with the ball this time, and when the whistle blew, they quickly passed it back to their defense. If Jason acted quick enough, he could get the ball and use their momentum against them. He pressured the player with the ball into passing it away, and his quick feet stole it before the Bull could say "whoops." His win was short-lived however, when an equally fast Nick Turner was on him. Jason parried the ball away with his feet, glancing up to see if there were anybody who could help him. Before Carter could get himself open, Turner stabbed mercilessly with his foot, crushing Jason's toes. The captain bit down a yelp, but the distraction allowed Turner to take the ball. His smirk infuriated Jason.

No whistle from the ref. That meant he didn't see it, and Turner wouldn't be penalized. Jason swallowed the bitter anger, trying to keep his cool. There was no point in making a scene. As he ran after the ball, moving back and forth to stay open for a pass, his eyes wandered treacherously to the stands. He seeked out the red hair, and saw that M.K. wasn't even looking at the game, let alone him. She was staring at her sneakers, probably thinking about her _man. _Who was the guy anyway? Did he go to their school, or even lived in the same county? Jason would never admit it, because it made him feel ashamed, but he was feeling increasingly curious...and jealous.

The blonde knew he shouldn't feel that way. If M.K. didn't want to date him, then he should find another girl. God knows he had plenty crushing on him. But the jealousy was hooked in him, for the moment.

Adams passed the ball to Crawford, and Jason flash-backed to last week, at M.K.'s house. He had, by complete accident, eavesdropped on M.K.'s video chat. She was talking to a girl by the sound of it-Lex, he had heard her introduce herself. It was a really strange conversation to follow, but one thing was clear. They were talking about a rose and a guy named Nod. Could he be the mystery boyfriend?

Distracted. That's what he was when the soccer ball rolled right past him and over the boundary line. The referee blew his whistle and announced the ball as the Bull's throw in. The Stags yelled at him in disgusted protests, all wondering the same thing. Why did Jason, of all people, make such a rookie mistake? His face turned red with humiliation and shame.

The Bulls hurled the ball in and Jason was on to it in a flash. _Now isn't the time to think about my relationships,_ he mentally scolded. The ball was passed to Turner, (his luck) and the two boys engaged in a running duel, Jason trying to deter the ball away from Turner and his goal, which they were getting nearer to with every step.

The physical contact between them was getting more aggressive, both of their elbows starting to fly. Jason's anger got the better of him and he jabbed particularly hard, digging in to Turner's ribcage. That's when the whistle blew. The boys stopped in their tracks as the referee marched up to them, pointing his finger at Jason, "Excessive use of force; the Bulls get a free kick!"

The audience of Stag supporters howled with furious exclamations, though with refs, such protests fell on deaf ears. Jason was reining in his own emotions, feeling a little guilty, even though the arrogant teen had deserved it. He was the team captain for Christ's sake, how could he lash out like that in the middle of a game?!

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it won't happen again," the blonde apologized quickly. Rule #1 in soccer: Don't make an enemy of the black and white stripes. The man nodded his appreciation and signaled to the opposing team to place the ball. Jason turned to get to his place in the defense, but not before seeing the smug smile on Turner's face.

Taking the kick was Joshua Maverick, the best shooter on the Bull's team. He rarely missed, but then again, so did the Stag's goalie, Ben Taylor.

Maverick swung back his leg back leisurely, and delivered a powerful kick, turning the ball into a lethal projectile. Taylor, who was watching the ball and Maverick's leg simultaneously, knew exactly where the kick was headed and launched up to the left, like a cat. He caught the ball and landed back on the dirt, the crowd roaring like a thousand lions. The Stags were jumping up and down joyfully, like little kids.

Jason himself let out the breath he had held, feeling blessed. If Maverick had gotten the ball in the goal, Jason would had been the one to blame.

Taylor prepared to punt, but the referee took a glance at his watch, and blew his whistle twice. It was half-time, and the players jogged to the sidelines, eager for some water and a break. The Stags headed to the gym locker room, and some of the audience strolled for the concession stand. Jason wasn't keen on facing his coach, who would surely be livid over his mistakes, but it's not like he could hide like a three-year old.

On his way, he saw Reece and Angela making their way towards him. M.K. was mysteriously absent. Reece smiled, "Now that was an awesome game!"

"You guys are doing great so far!" Angela agreed.

Jason shook is head, unable to match their enthusiasm, "I sucked. I let the ball roll right past me, and I gave the Bulls a free kick. If it had made it in..."

"Well, you're forgetting that you made the first goal, and you can't be Mr. Perfect all the time," Reece said, rolling her eyes playfully. "Your only human, and besides, Nick had it coming and Taylor caught the ball. You'll do better in the next half."

The teen only felt a little better at the encouragement, but decide on a subject change, "Where's M.K.?"

Angela looked annoyed, "She just got up and left! Said she needed to check on something, but really, was it that important? This is a big game after all, and your playing and-"

"She went to the parking lot, if you wanted to know," Reece said, cutting off her friend. She was a nice girl, but sometimes Angela could get a little air-headed and overactive.

"Thanks, I think I'll just go and see if she needs help." With that, the soccer captain jogged for the parking lot.

When he got there, the place was devoid of activity, and he didn't see the red-head girl anywhere. What was he doing? This wasn't the time to go chasing after a girl; he had a game to play after all! Coach would be even more furious if he didn't show up in the locker room.

Jason was about to turn away, when a gust of wind carried a leaf in front of his face. His blue eyes followed it and the leaf landed gently at the start of a trail. The pebbly path snaked into the woods, the shade looking quite inviting. The boy didn't know what it was, but there was the feeling...this sense of instinct telling him to go down the path. The breeze caressed his face playfully, and...there was this _voice_ saying, almost ordering him, to run.

The blonde shook his head like a dog, trying to shake it off. He must be going crazy! Yet, the trail beckoned, urging him to come. Jason took a step, then another, and before he could convince himself not to, he was running through the forest.

* * *

M.K. jogged at a fast pace. She swore under her breath for the hundredth time as she tripped over a root, but managed to keep herself upright. She couldn't afford to look at the ground though, for she had to keep her eyes to the sky. Thankfully, the flock-no murder of crows weren't flying that fast. Their constant cawing weren't hard to track either.

She must have looked just like her dad. Minus the helmet and gear, she was another red-head running through the forest, chasing things that nobody else could see. And stumbling over roots as she went.

_This is stupid, _a voice in her head complained. _Your running after birds that you think have tiny monsters on them trying to take over the world. Not how you wanna spend a Sunday. _

When you put it that way, yeah, it was ridiculous, but she beat these thoughts down. Last summer, she had been shrunk down to two inches, rode a hummingbird like a horse, and threw an acorn at a savage beast trying to kill her. Not to mention, aided in defeating an army of the same beasts. When compared, chasing birds was almost normal.

She had learned to trust her instincts ever since that summer. They were ringing alarm bells, and she couldn't shake the uneasiness that had taken root.

Something was about to happen, and she _had_ to be there for it.

The volume of the crows increased tremendously, and suddenly she broke through the trees and was among them. Dozens of black birds flitted between branches and the air was filled with there noisy calls. Upon closer inspection, she noted they had yellow eyes, so they were not crows, but grackles. When their beady eyes spotted her, their cackles rose in pitch, sounding very excited.

The hair on her arms were standing on end, and she grit her teeth in irritation at all the noise they were making. M.K. squinted, trying to peer closer to see if the birds were mounted. She couldn't see anything.

A cool breeze swept through, blowing the leaves back. A grackle lighted gracefully off its perch, the wind catching its feathers and carrying it to the sky. The flock, murder, or whatever it was called followed, like a school of fish. M.K. ran closer to see if there was any Boggans, but the grackles took to the sky in an unorganized fashion, and it made it difficult to spot anything but black feathers.

The teen growled in frustration. The birds were moving to fast for her to track. She had gotten so close, only to have them flee, and she didn't see any Boggans. The part of her that said this was stupid was looking more and more correct. She was ready to give up and turn back, when a twig snapped behind her.

M.K. turned so fast, her follower was more startled than she herself. It was Jason, still in his soccer uniform and gear. His blue eyes were wide with confusion.

"What are you doing here?" she blurted out.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

When she didn't answer, he continued, "I didn't see you at half-time. Reece told me where you went. I just wanted to check on you, see if you were okay, maybe your dad or...your boyfriend had come to pick you up."

"And you followed me?"

"Well, I didn't actually see you go into the forest...what are you doing out here?"

"I thought I saw something," she lied quickly. Too quickly.

"C'mon M.K.," Jason said, his brows furrowed into a scowl. "You can't lie to me as well."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped, sounding harsher than she intended to. Losing the flock (or murder?) of grackles frustrated her, and the questions were just making it worse.

Normally, Jason handled things reasonably, but she could tell that even he was losing his patience. The boy was in a really bad mood, "What I mean, is that I deserve an explanation. Last night, I suffered the embarrassment of asking you out and learning that you weren't single. Can you at least tell me what is going on, and what you're doing in the woods?"

She sighed, her fists clenched to suppress the emotions that threatened to break out, "I'm just under a lot of stress right now."

"I know, but your acting pretty weird!"

It was like a punch to her gut. M.K. felt the irritating itch at the back of her eyes, tears wanting to surface. It was pathetic, but this was what she feared. Being labeled as weird by her friends. By Jason.

"You should go back to the game," the girl said softly, unable to hide the hurt. "The coach will be pissed if don't get back in time."

"M.K. wait...," he started, but she already turning away from him, intending to disappear into the trees and not come out for a while. Before she take a few more steps, the wind suddenly blew like a gale. She gasped in disbelief, as a familiar force picked her up.

"M.K.?" Jason asked, sounding concerned. Then he made a choked sound. She looked down to see her toes a few inches off the ground and rising.

An invisible hand yanked her skyward, and the wind became a deafening roar in her ears. She heard Jason call out to her, but his voice was lost in the hurricane. The world began to spin, and the forest became a green, indistinct blur. M.K. couldn't believe it. It was happening again! She was returning to Moonhaven!

The trees doubled, then tripled in size and the gale lessened, carrying her like a leaf. The two-inch red-head landed softly on the ground, as if someone was placing her there. The smell of soil and moss was now very strong. M.K. laid there for a few minutes, waiting for her head to stop spinning.

Finally, she opened her eyes and was surprised to see the color green fill up her vision. Sunlight filtered through, casting a soft emerald light on her face. At some point, a leaf had settled on top of her, so daintily she didn't even notice. M.K. pushed it off and beheld the same, but exotic world she found herself in.

_So beautiful. _All you need was a different perspective and you'll never see the world the same way again. M.K. was so happy to be back, even if there wasn't any Leafmen nearby to escort her around. She scoffed at the thought. Damsel in distress did not apply to her.

"M.K.?"

The voice startled her so much, that the speed of which she turned would've hurt her neck. Jason was lying on the ground, holding his head and observing his surroundings with eyes so wide, they would've popped out. He turned his gaze to her, not quite believing what he was seeing. M.K. couldn't believe what _she_ was seeing!

Jason had shrunk with her.

M.K.'s voice cracked with shock, "Um...I can explain?"

* * *

**thank you guys for being patient with me, and if i got any of those soccer rules wrong then i apologized. i looked them up and all, even though i play soccer. yeah, go figure, i play the game but i dont actually know the rules of it...  
**

**R&R!**


	15. Impressions

**An update, yeah baby!**

* * *

Nod was fuming. After walking in the blinding darkness for a minute or two, he turned around to see (or not see), that the fire was out of sight. Not that he cared since that was the last place he wanted to be. He plopped down, deciding to sit where he was standing. The boy was furious, but he wasn't stupid; he couldn't continue to walk in the pitch dark without running into some trouble.

Trouble. It had the nose of a bloodhound and Nod was its prey. Of course, Ronin thought it was the other way around, but it wasn't. Trouble moved towards him. Granted, sometimes he moved to it, but it's not like he had any choice in the matter. Nod's hand rested on a loose strand of cobweb. Half of him hoped that the maker wasn't around, and the other half wanted to meet it...with his fists.

_Okay Nod, just simmer down_, he thought to himself. _Violent thoughts lead to violent action. _He had his space now, and not really knowing why, Nod started to dig his hands into the moist soil. He pulled out fist-sized chunks of earth and began rolling them between his palms. Packing them with his fingers until he made a perfect sphere of dirt. His mind zoned out, and it was only a few minutes later that he looked down and saw whole pile of dirt balls next to him.

Okay, so that was weird but at least he felt a little better. The rosebud was nosing through the pile like a curious cat when it suddenly reared its head and swung it to look behind him. Someone was approaching.

"Nod?" a voice, sounding uncertain. Thryn. Maybe if he kept still, she'd go away. It was dark after all.

"Don't bother. I heard you grumbling from several paces back. I know your here."

Crap, he grumbles when he's angry? "What do you want?"

"Nothing," she replied, taking a few tentative steps towards his voice. "I just wanted to check on you."

He decided not to grace her with a response, though Thryn wasn't the type to mind that. To his surprise, she continued to talk, "You probably don't want anybody around now, and I get it, but I just came to say something and then I'll leave if you still want me to." Thryn paused, like she was waiting for his permission. He would have lifted an eyebrow but didn't, on the grounds that she wouldn't see it.

She sighed, "I told Ronin the truth. The real reason we left Moonhaven and you entered that race."

Nod turned toward her voice, his simmering anger replaced with shock, "You confessed?"

"Yes," he heard her sit down next to him.

He tried to wrap his head around this new development. Thryn didn't come off as the type to come clean with something like that, in fact, she appeared to be more secretive, "Well...why? I'm willing to take the blame."

"I know," she said in a soft tone he never heard her use. "But so am I, and besides, you and Ronin can't have a falling out."

The young Leafman shifted closer to her until he felt his knee brush hers, "Why do you say that?"

Thryn hesitated for a few seconds, but said slowly, "You already lost your first father. You can't afford to lose another."

Her words were so deep it struck him to the core, and he had to remind himself how to breath. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to Nod that she knew about that. His father had been a well-respected and famous Leafman, coming second to Ronin but still rivaling him. His death had been a blow on the Leafmen as a whole, and many knew that he had left behind a son.

"Ronin's not my father," he said curtly, hoping to cut the conversation short.

Thryn of course was not buying it, "He doesn't have to be related to you, he just needs to be there for you."

"He doesn't care about me!"

"Oh really? What about all those times he saved your ass? I can name a number of them."

"Don't start patronizing me," the boy growled, his anger returning quickly. "Ronin is only worried about the kingdom and the Queen. If he had an ounce of interest, don't you think he would have shown it by now?"

"Some people are just not as good at that as you are," Thryn replied, her voice kinder and more gentle this time. "Me for example. I can't admit my feelings easily, so I hide it behind a mask of indifference. Ronin does the same, and look where that got him. The man never got to tell Queen Tara his feelings for her before she died."

Nod was at a loss for words, which didn't happen to him often. This gave Thryn an opening, "He's frustrated Nod, and your the one making him so."

"What...?"

"Think about it. Ronin's followed orders all his life, and because of his skills, he's now the one giving orders. When he's in command, your expected to follow him without question, so when somebody like you comes along and disrupts this balance, he can't help but get furious." She cut him off before he could begin protesting, "I'm not saying that's a bad thing, and I know that it's just the way you are, but I'm only trying to make a point here. Ronin does care about you, so he tries to keep you in line like everybody else. He thinks that's the only way to keep you safe."

Nod struggled to find words to argue, to retort, to snap, but he couldn't. The quiet teenager had completely stripped him of his ability to speak._ The irony._ "Dammit, Thryn. Why do you have to be so right?"

Even though he couldn't see her, the Leafman practically_ felt _her smirk. She was probably happy that he had admitted defeat, yet her next words were clipped, conveying none of the triumphant he _knew_ she was feeling, "Just think about that for a while, and when your ready, make the first move to apologize."

Nod was too baffled to protest anymore and just nodded meekly. How long had they been sitting there? "Maybe we should head back..."

"Way ahead of ya."

As he stood, Nod pocketed a few of the dirt balls he had made, not really sure why, but he just decided to take a few. Thryn's hand slipped into his and he stiffened, "What are you doing?"

"Holding your hand of course."

"I'm not scared of the dark."

She snorted, "It's so we don't lose each other, idiot." And with that, she pulled him along like an impatient child. Nod's sense of direction in the darkness was useless, but Thryn guided him confidently, as if she were accustomed to this blindness. Considering what he had seen of her so far, he wouldn't be surprised. The longer he held her hand, the more his palm itched and warmed, and he could only hope that it wouldn't start sweating.

Just like the tip of the sun popping over the horizon, the small fire appeared, a glowing beacon. Three dark silhouettes of the Leafmen patrol approached them, and despite the dimness, Nod could see that they were happy and relieved that the young members had returned unharmed. Ronin was sitting by the fire and only briefly made eye contact with him, his expression totally unreadable. Nod internally rolled his eyes. _What else is new? _Both teenagers quickly separated their hands as they stepped into the light, though Nod was sure that it hadn't gone unnoticed to some. He mentally winced when he saw Thryn wiping her hand on her pants. So he had sweated a little.

Suddenly, a Leafwoman was hurrying towards them, "Sir!" she exclaimed, gaining Ronin's attention. "There's a firefly message in the sky!"

At this, Ronin was on his feet and barking orders, "Gather your things and ready the birds. When that's done, put out the fire." The soldiers jumped to fulfill his commands, scurrying around the campsite like ants.

"What does it mean exactly?" Thryn inquired.

"I told Nim Galuu to contact us by firefly lights if he found anything on the rose."

Nod almost jumped with joy. At last, they were going to get some answers! He'll finally know what exactly is attached to him. He hurried over to Cricket to check up on the saddle straps and prepared to head off.

* * *

M.K., to her credit, got over her shock rather quickly, which was a good thing. If anybody had the right to be shocked, it was Jason.

The boy was only frozen for a minute, before he locked his blues to her greens, and a barrage of questions was shot at her, quick and rapid as machine gun fire. She barely got her answer in before the next one was launched.

"Where the hell are we?!"

"The forest, but we're two inches tall."

"Like in "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids?!"

"Basically."

"How did we get shrunk?! How do we get _unshrunk_?!"

"Well...it's complicated..." M.K. trailed off, looking around her to find the source of the magic that shrunk them. Were they alone?

"Oh God," Jason breathed, taking in the sight of the trees, flowers, and grass being as tall as buildings. "How did this happen?"

M.K. decided to get straight to the point, "Magic," she said simply. "The Queen used her magic to shrink us down to this size, though I think she brought you here by accident."

"...What?" the poor teen looked even more confused.

As quickly as she could, M.K. told him about the secret society of advanced people the size of her pinkie finger living in the woods and how her dad, for years, was obsessed over finding them. This obsession led to her parents' divorce, and her living in the city for the next ten years. When her mom died, she moved back and threatened her father that if he didn't give up his absurd belief, then she'd leave and never come back. She told him about her father running out on her, running after Ozzie who escaped to the woods, and meeting the dying Queen Tara. How Queen Tara entrusted her with a pod, the only thing that could save the forest from rotting death by Boggans.

"When we defeated the Boggans, the pod chose a new monarch, Queen Ariel, and she returned me to human size," M.K. concluded. She hadn't gone into too much detail of her adventure. The teen had refrained from mentioning Ronin, Mub, Grub, Nim Galuu, Mandrake, or even Nod. _Especially_ Nod. Those were too personal, but given time, maybe she'll leak out the whole story.

Jason was having a hard time processing all this. His brows were furrowed as if thinking all this through and then rethinking it again. Finally, he looked up at her, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

Now it was her turn to be stumped. "You believe me?!"

He glanced around again, checking that yes, this wasn't a dream and they were two inches tall. "I really don't know what else could explain this, unless we've both been conked on the head and are in a hallucination."

M.K. was so relieved. With Jason believing her story, things would be much easier now. She gave a mirthful giggle, "Conked?"

"What?" he asked in mock hurt. "I'm extending my vocabulary. It makes me sound more sophisticated and professional."

"The word 'conk' is hardly sophisticated," she rolled her eyes playfully. "Except when used by barbarians."

"I make a dashing barbarian," he replied, voice smooth as marble. The blonde wiggled his eyebrows and flashed a cocky smirk, and M.K. cracked up. Seconds later, Jason joined in and their laughter filled the forest around them. A bumblebee passed by, giving them a weird look before buzzing off to whatever work he had to do.

"Woah," Jason said, noticing the bee. "That's a big bug."

"No, that's about average actually," she chuckled. At his confused look, M.K. reigned in her giggles. "Inside joke." The red-head glanced around again, worry now creasing her features. "Where's the Queen? She should be here by now, or at least some of the Jinn."

"Could she not shrink us at a long distance?"

"I don't really know the extent of a Queen's power, but I doubt that even Tara could carry out a long distance shrink spell."

"Do you know your way to this uh...Moonhaven?"

"Not from here. I only spent a day with the Leafmen, and the forest starts looking the same after a while."

"...So what do we do?"

That's what M.K. was trying to figure out. With no Leafmen, or even Jinn around to guide them, they would be hopelessly lost. They could go back to the soccer field, but that was too risky. Either they'll be caught by some person or crushed underfoot. Going back wasn't an option. She silently cursed herself. Why didn't she study her father's maps of the area? M.K. didn't even know which was the best direction!

As these thoughts flitted through her head, the breeze picked up and teased red locks onto her face, and she suddenly got the feeling of a presence. It was like there was someone right beside her, whispering enticingly in her ear. _"__Follow me, your friends are this_ way._" _The wind ran past her and lifted half-wilted leaves, twirling it in the air like flags. Was she finally going nuts or did that wind just talked to her?! Jason's face went pale and she got the feeling that he heard it to. Maybe they_ were_ in a hallucination together.

The air moving the leaves became more defined, and M.K. could make out the line of a body. It solidified until both teenagers could see a shape but it still flickered and shimmered, like it was having a hard time maintaining the form. It looked like bird, constantly moving on airy feathers, its wings barely flapping.

It whispered impatiently, _"You must come now! We'll miss them if we don't get moving!"_

Driven by the urgency in its voice, M.K. took off after it, ignoring Jason's confused questions as he followed her. The wind bird flew ahead, now an indistinct blur that blended back into the air around it, but it continued to twirl leaves so they could see it. It skimmed the forest floor effortlessly, while the teenagers struggled to keep up. A huge tree root suddenly blocked the path, but M.K. didn't slow down. She increased her speed and sprang like a deer, just able to land daintily on the top. The girl might be out of practice with her power jumps, but she at least knew what to expect.

Jason, however, skidded to stop at the base of the root and stared up at her in disbelief. "How did you do that?!"

"It's something you gain when you shrink to this size," M.K. explained. "Come on, just get a running start and jump. It's like your on the moon!"

The blonde boy jogged further back then turned around, took a deep breath, and sprinted for the root. When he was three paces away, his leg muscles gathered and propelled him up. For a moment he hung in the air, awed at his powerful leap, before he realized that he overshot his destination. Jason's arms and legs swung around, trying to change his direction in mid-air, which of course didn't work. He crashed landed into the leaf litter.

M.K. fought not to laugh at his first failed attempt at Leafmen grace, knowing that she had worse wipe-outs when she was among the Jinn. Jason peeled his face from he ground, spitting out dirt but looked unharmed. The red-head came to his side and helped him up, "You okay?"

He grunted, "I've had worse. Just surprised that I didn't break anything."

"Something else my father discovered," M.K. said. "With this size, your lighter and don't have as much mass, so hurting yourself after a fall is less likely."

"You're really a nerd today, aren't you?"

She punched his shoulder, "I can't help myself sometimes."

_"You done?" _The wind bird asked, both teens jumping at the voice. The living air had stopped, still swirling the leaves in a slow motion tornado. It almost sounded annoyed. Satisfied that it had their attention, it continued dashing across the forest floor, the teens in hot pursuit.

They bounded across bouncy moss, ducked under towering ferns, and hopped over roots and sticks as if they were hurdles. The teens were barely able to keep the wind in sight. M.K. was getting a stitch in her side and she panted heavily. Jason was faring a bit better, being an athlete, but M.K. couldn't keep going at this pace for much longer.

Just when she felt like her legs were going to collapse, the wind bird pulled up and dropped the leaves. It started circling in place, and M.K. got the feeling that it was pacing-if it had feet. _"No, this won't work! We'll never reach them time if we keep at this pace. Can't you go any faster?"_

"Um...no...not really," the girl responded hesitantly. She may have flown on a bird, fought off Boggans, and discovered a whole new world, but this was a new low for 'unbelievable.'

_"Wait...I have an idea!" _it shouted excitedly. It swooped up to the branches and started circling a leaf. It gradually sped up, circling faster and faster until there was a miniature hurricane of air enclosing the leaf. The force of the wind was enough to pluck it off of the branch and it floated to the ground. The wind bird repeated the process on another leaf, and the two leaves landed in front of Jason and M.K.

The wind bird flew back down to them, _"Grab on the edges."_ it commanded.

"What's the idea?" Jason asked. "And what are you anyway?"

_"No time to explain! We must intercept them!"_

"Intercept who?" M.K. asked.

The wind bird was getting increasingly frustrated with their questions,_ "Please, we must hurry!"_

"We aren't going anywhere until you tell me what's going on," M.K. demanded, crossing her arms.

_"Queen Tara sent me!"_

M.K.'s eyes widened with disbelief, "Queen Tara?...But...she's..."

_"Dead,"_ it said simply, like it was a normal thing. _"But still protecting her forest. Now please grab the edges. Things are about to happen and both of you have to be there for them."_

Hesitating for only a second more, M.K. grabbed an edge of a leaf in each hand, mystified by all this. Jason followed suit. The wind started circling them, _"Hold tight!"_

The wind bird became a gale, and M.K. gasped as she felt the powerful force fill up her leaf like a balloon, and her feet left the ground. Higher the wind pushed them, sweeping them up like they were nothing more than feathers. They rose up through the branches, the ground getting further away. Jason shouted as the wind bird's 'wind' gave a great push and they were clear. Blue sky surrounded them. When they were a good height away from the treetops, the wind bird propelled them forward like paper airplanes.

They were flying, hanging on leaves being pushed by living air. Both teens couldn't help but let shouts of elation slip past their lips, as they shot over the trees, traveling fast through the sky. M.K.'s legs were getting a break, and now her arms were getting tired; it was like she was hang-gliding and guiding a parachute at the same time. She realized why Nod like to fly so much; the thrill was amazing even if it was kind of scary. M.K. smiled at the thought of seeing his face when she would meet him. _You think you're so bad with your trick flips and birds?_ she thought. _Get a load of me; I'm riding air!_

Of course, seeing Nod at all made her heart skip a beat and a smile grace her face. Not only that, but it also made her feel self-conscious about her image...which didn't happen often.

The wind bird suddenly dissipated and her blood froze. Screams tore from their throats as they tumbled towards the ground. M.K. couldn't think straight, couldn't believe that the wind had carried them all this way, only to leave them high above the ground and helpless! Jason desperately tried to straighten out his leaf and capture some air, but the wind was so strong that he couldn't hold it in place. M.K. prepared herself to hit the ground, but Jason's leaf suddenly ballooned and lifted him up. Her leaf did the same and she felt the force slowing their fall. A form shaped itself before her eyes: the wind bird had returned.

_"Good job, that got their attention." _

The red-head was so relieved, but at the same time, so pissed. "What kind of sick joke was that?!" she yelled, absolutely livid. Jason, however, was as white as ghost. So far, the Jinn world was not making a first good impression on him. The wind bird floated them down towards a broad branch of a birch tree, a stream trickling quietly at its base. Landing on it, M.K.'s arms ached from holding up her body weight, and her legs visibly shook from the fear of the fall. But this didn't stop her from glaring at the undefined face of the wind.

_"Relax, you were never in any danger. Besides, it's time for us to part ways."_

"And good riddance," she growled. She would have launched into a whole speech on how the wind bird was such a terrible tour guide, but before she could, a familiar sound met her ears. The deep thrum of wings moving eighty times per second. Her deep green eyes scanned the verdue, spotting the flash of multi-colored iridescent feathers of a dozen hummingbirds. Her heart fills with joy at the sight of their riders; the Leafmen.

"Are those...?" Jason trailed off.

"Yeah...it's them." M.K. turned to find that the wind bird was gone. Maybe she had been a little to harsh. After all, it had found the Leafmen for them; without it, they'd be wandering foolishly through the woods.

The lead Leafmen waved his hand in greeting, guiding his patrol to the branch. The hummingbirds landed, looking inquisitively at them. The leader was a grizzled old warrior, his face rough and ruddy with the signs of hardship, but there were crinkle lines around his eyes that spoke of smiles and laughter. At the moment, his face was unreadable. M.K. was a little disappointed that it wasn't anybody she knew, like Ronin or even Finn.

The old warrior dismounted and walked up to them, a hand placed casually on the hilt of his sword, "Were you the ones we saw falling out of the sky?" he asked in kind voice.

The girl and boy shared a look, before M.K. answered, "Yes that was us. We-"

An excited screech from the back of the patrol cut her off. It was high-pitched, girly, and reminded M.K. of a fan girl's yelp at a boy band concert. A skinny Leafwoman emerged from the patrol and gave the red-head a hug that could rival a gorilla's. The show of affection was so unexpected, M.K. didn't know whether to hug back or push her away. Two young Leafmen stood where her mysterious hugger had emerged, staring at their friend in confusion.

It was only when the Leafwoman pulled away, that M.K. recognized her. It was girl, with green skin, short emerald hair, and huge eyes that were a blend of green and gold. She was beaming, "M.K.! I can't believe it's you!"

"Lex?"

* * *

**The End!**

** No im only joking, in fact we are nowhere near the end. Ive got a lot more plot twists to throw at you guys. At last, the OCs meet the FC(first character) which is MK. Thanks for being patient with me guys, but now that im in the flow of school, I think ill be able to handle juggling the work, the story, and sports a bit better now. Once XC ends, I'll have loads of more time. Dont quote me on that though.**

**R&R!**


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